Just In: Leeds leading race to sign “towering” £12m hit man

Leeds United were defeated in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium last month, denying them promotion to the Premier League in one of the most unfortunate ways possible.

An full season of effort resulted in a dull 1-0 loss to Southampton, due to Adam Armstrong’s first-half goal, and the Whites must now prepare for a second season in the Championship.

Head coach Daniel Farke will reflect on the 2023/24 season and find areas for improvement to ensure that his team does not fall short again.

As shown in the table above, three of his strikers underperformed against their xG, with two of them, Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter, considerably underperforming – by a combined 12.16 xG.

As a result, the German manager could enter the market to reinforce his attack during the summer transfer season, which officially opened earlier this month.

Work on that front looks to have already begun, with the West Yorkshire club connected with a Bundesliga forward.

Leeds United battling to sign £12m attacker

According to the printed edition of The Sunday Mirror (23/06/24), as reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds are one of the clubs vying for Bayer Leverkusen star Adam Hlozek this summer.

According to the report, the Whites and Premier League club West Ham United are among the teams monitoring his position with the Bundesliga winners.

According to reports, the versatile forward is expected to leave Xabi Alonso’s side before the 2024/25 season, and Farke appears to be aiming to capitalize on that with a move for his services in the coming weeks.

According to the newspaper, Leverkusen is willing to seek a sum in the area of £12 million for the Czech international, who is presently competing for his country at the 2024 European Championship.

It remains to be seen whether Leeds are willing to offer the £12 million that is reportedly necessary to secure his services before the transfer window closes, or if the player is willing to drop from Germany’s first division to England’s second tier.

If they can reach an agreement to sign him, they could have an interesting partner for Rutter in the Championship’s last third the following season.

Georginio Rutter’s creative brilliance for Leeds

As shown in the xG table previously, the French kid had an extremely bad season in front of goal for the Whites, with inefficient finishing.

There is no denying that Rutter must improve his finishing ability next year, as he passed up far too many high-quality opportunities for Farke’s team.

However, the 22-year-old wizard performed an excellent job in possession, generating opportunities for other players to score.

The former Hoffenheim youngster finished the season with an incredible 15 assists and 22 ‘big chances’ produced in 45 league appearances for Leeds, demonstrating that he was always looking to set up his teammates.

This is supported by excellent underlying chance creation figures, as the right-footed magician placed high among his positional contemporaries in the division.

As shown in the table above, he was among the best in his position at creating high-quality chances for his teammates in the Championship.

These statistics demonstrate that the Leeds wizard has the ability to continuously open up opposing defences with his imaginative and incisive passing from the number ten position.

This might make him a fascinating companion for Hlozek at Elland Road, as the young Czech star has the ability to be both a dangerous finisher and an exceptional playmaker in the Championship next season.

Why Leeds should sign Adam Hlozek

For starters, he will just be 22 next month, so the club will be bringing in a brilliant young starlet who will have plenty of time to develop and improve during his stay in Yorkshire.

Farke might work with the youngster, who was regarded as a “diamond” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, to help enhance his on-field performances and, as a result, increase his value, allowing the Whites to potentially profit from him in the future.

What a strike! 💥

🇨🇿 Adam Hložek with his debut goal for the Czech Republic 👏#WCQ | @ceskarepre_eng pic.twitter.com/0RAkyjMvm5

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) October 25, 2021

Second, unlike Bamford, Joseph, and Rutter, Hlozek possesses the finishing ability to be a consistent alternative for the German head coach in the last third.

In his two seasons in the Bundesliga with Leverkusen, the 6 foot 1 marksman, nicknamed “towering” by Mango, scored seven goals with an xG of 5.72, an overperformance of 1.28.

The young dynamo, who scored three goals in four DFB Pokal appearances, has demonstrated his ability to finish at a high rate in a major European league, implying that he may be a merciless finisher who would thrive with Rutter’s flair at Leeds.

As shown in the table above, he joined Leverkusen following two successful league seasons with Sparta Prague in his home country.

Hlozek had an astounding 44 direct goal contributions in 48 matches, and Farke could attempt to harness his creative potential, with 21 of those contributions being assists to go with his outstanding finishing.

He might thus be an interesting companion for Rutter at the top of the pitch for the Whites next season, as his talent in front of goal could compensate for the Frenchman’s shortcomings in that area.

It is now down to the club to win the battle for his signature and bring him to Elland Road to bolster Farke’s attacking options for the 2024/25 campaign.