Leeds United have around 24 hours left to finish any remaining deals that they want to get done before the summer transfer window officially slams shut.
Daniel Farke was clear about what he wants from the board on deadline day after the club’s 0-0 draw with Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.
The German boss said: “In defence and midfield, goalkeeper position and full-back position, we’ve done really good business. But we spoke quite open and honest about it, we would need to add some more quality up front.”
Noah Okafor is the only attacking signing that Leeds have spent a transfer fee on so far, with Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin arriving on free transfers, and that may change on deadline day.
Leeds in talks to sign Premier League playmaker
The Whites are looking to add the quality that Farke is looking for in the final third with reported interest in a current Premier League-based playmaker.
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According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Leeds United are in late talks over a potential deal to sign Emiliano Buendia from Aston Villa before the deadline.
He told Football Insider: “Obviously, there’s a long-standing association between Daniel Farke and Buendia from their time at Norwich. Leeds are in the market for a number 10, and Buendia is one they are talking to ahead of Monday’s deadline. It could happen.”
Football Insider adds that the Argentina international has been given the green light to leave Villa Park on a permanent basis, amid previous reports that he has been valued at £20m this summer.
Why Leeds should sign Emi Buendia
The Whites should push ahead with a deal to sign the former Norwich man for £20m because he could come in as a big upgrade on Dan James on the right flank.
Buendia mainly played as a right-sided attacking midfielder, in a 4-2-3-1 formation, for Farke at Carrow Road and enjoyed a great relationship with Max Aarons, which means that he could form one with Jayden Bogle, who is similarly attack-minded.
James has started the season with zero shots on target, zero ‘big chances’ created, and 0.17 xA in three Premier League starts for the Championship champions, per Sofascore, and does not look to have handled the step up in quality very well at all.
Appearances
36
39
Goals
1
15
Key passes per game
2.3
3.1
Big chances created
9
18
Assists
7
16
As you can see in the table above, Buendia thrived, even in the Premier League, as a creative force on the right flank for Farke with his incredible technical ability and eye for a pass.
The Argentine maestro, whose form was described as “remarkable” by journalist Connor Southwell at Norwich, could be a creative outlet for Leeds on the right, splitting open Premier League defences to create high-quality opportunities for the likes of Okafor, Nmecha, and Calvert-Lewin.
Buendia spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen and created two ‘big chances’ in just 264 minutes of football in the Bundesliga, per Sofascore, which shows that he can still produce creative quality in the current day.
The Villa midfielder, who scored nine goals and provided eight assists in his first two seasons in the Premier League with the Villans, is a proven Premier League performer and creator who already knows Farke incredibly well, which is why this could be a shrewd move.
Due to his relationship with the manager and his experience in the league, Buendia could slot straight in as an upgrade on James on the right, after the Wales international’s very underwhelming start to the campaign from an offensive perspective.