Imagine him & Ramazani: Leeds pushing hard to sign exciting attacker

Leeds United return to Championship action on Saturday as they prepare to host Hull City at Elland Road a day after the summer transfer window slams shut.

When the Whites take to the field against the Tigers this weekend, Daniel Farke will know what his squad will look like, barring injuries, until January at the earliest.

That will come as a welcome relief to the German head coach because he has had to deal with so much uncertainty in the group in recent months.

The West Yorkshire outfit have cashed in on Glen Kamara, Georginio Rutter, Crysencio Summerville, and Archie Gray since the end of last season, after their involvement in last season’s promotion push.

Meanwhile, Leeds have swooped to sign Largie Ramazani, Joe Rodon, Joe Rothwell, Alex Cairns, and Jayden Bogle in an attempt to bolster Farke’s squad.

Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth claims that the Whites are expected to sign two more players before Friday’s deadline, not including the imminent arrival of Manor Solomon on a season-long loan from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

More attacking players appear to be on the agenda for the Championship side as Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a midfielder from the Bundesliga.

Leeds eyeing up Bundesliga whiz

According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Whites are pushing hard to secure a deal to sign Roland Sallai from Freiburg before the deadline.

The reporter claims that the Yorkshire-based team are looking to bring the Hungary international over to England and that the player is keen on the move, which suggests that personal terms would not be an issue.

Tavolieri adds that it would take a fee of €9m (£7.6m) to make a deal happen in the coming days. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the English side are prepared to offer that much money.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports journalist Philipp Hinz claims that there has been concrete interest from Leeds, who have made contact with the player to discuss a potential move to Elland Road.

Hinz reports, however, that there is also interest from a team in Ligue 1, which means that the Whites could face late competition to secure his services.

With the deadline coming up on Friday, the 49ers will need to act fast to ensure that they win the race for his signature to bolster Farke’s attacking options for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign.

Leeds could land an exciting partner for one of their most recent signings – Largie Ramazani – by securing a deal to sign Sallai by the end of the week.

What Largie Ramazani could bring to Leeds

The Whites officially confirmed the signing of the winger from Spanish side Almeria last week, ahead of their 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.

He has joined on a permanent deal and looks set to be the club’s replacement for Summerville on the left flank, as a left winger who likes to cut inside onto his favoured right foot.

Ramazani started his career at academy level with Manchester United in England, where he produced 11 goals in 18 matches for their U23 side, before his move to Almeria in 2020.

The Belgian wizard scored 22 goals in 128 appearances for the Spanish side during his four-year spell, playing in the top two divisions in Spain.

In the 2023/24 campaign, Almeria were relegated from LaLiga but that did not stop the 23-year-old wizard from showcasing his quality at the top end of the pitch.

As you can see in the table above, Ramazani contributed with 13 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in just 16 starts in the Spanish top-flight.

His tally of five assists from ten ‘big chances’ created suggests that his teammates let him down at times with their wasteful finishing, which may have contributed to their relegation from the division.

These statistics suggest that the Belgian ace is a talented winger who can provide quality as a creative threat but he needs to work to improve his output as a goalscorer.

He could consistently create quality opportunities for the likes of Wilfried Gnonto and Mateo Joseph to find the back of the net, and could form a dangerous partnership with Sallai in West Yorkshire.

Why Leeds should sign Roland Sallai

The Whites should swoop to sign Sallai to pair him with Ramazani as part of the attacking trio behind Joseph, either as the right winger or in the number ten position.

He is a creative midfielder, who can play centrally or out wide, who could work alongside the Belgian to break down opposition teams when they drop into a low block against Leeds this season, to create chances for the finishers in the team – Joseph, Dan James, and Gnonto – to score goals.

Sallai offered a glimpse into his quality in the final third at the European Championship in Germany earlier this summer with an eye-catching four ‘big chances’ created in three appearances.

He has performed in a major European league for a number of years now in the Bundesliga and has racked up 27 goals and 23 assists in 162 matches for Freiburg, which suggests that this would be an ambitious move by Leeds as it would be a step down for him to drop to the second tier in England.

As you can see in the table above, Sallai – like Ramazani – was incredibly unfortunate last season as his teammates did not score from any of the seven ‘big chances’ that he created for them.

The 27-year-old star, who scored four goals in nine Europa League matches, only registered one assist from 11 ‘big chances’ created across the Bundesliga and the Euros.

These statistics suggest that his impressive creativity was underused by Freiburg and Hungary and Leeds could bring him in to attempt to make the most of it, with Sallai and Ramazani hopefully using their creative skills to unlock opposition defences this season.