Leeds could sell the worst player in Europe by signing an 'exceptional' target.

Leeds United Currently chasing a promotion to Premier League The second time of the question, which is the second time championship As it is.

Their 1-1 draw with Preston North End last time out left them three points behind Sheffield United in the title race, but ahead of Burnley in third.

This means that the Whites are still in a good position in the competition for an automatic return to the top flight, after missing out on the playoffs last season.

The January transfer window will officially open for business at the beginning of next month and Daniel Wake He may want to dip into the market to give his team a boost ahead of the second half of the season.

He has used the winter window for his latest promotion success at Championship level, signing Demi Giannoulis on loan from PAOK for Norwich in 2021, with the Greek international moving to Start 16 matches In the second half of the season to help them win the title.

This shows that the German coach knows the boost that could come from strengthening his promotion-chasing squad in January, but he may have to make room for new signings by offloading one or two from his current squad.

Leeds striker who should be sold in January

One player who should be mercilessly eliminated in the upcoming January transfer window is the centre-forward Patrick Bamfordwhich was

Connected to an exit from Elland Road.

TEAMtalk was recently reported Genoa and Wrexham are monitoring the English striker's situation and could make a move for him, as a move away from Leeds appears likely in 2025.

The Whites should look to capitalize on the growing interest in the former England international's services and finally part ways with the former Chelsea player, who has been at the club since the summer of 2017.

Bamford is the third striker in the team, behind Joel Piero and Mathieu Joseph, and he does not do enough – with Zero goals and zero assists This season – to justify Leeds' fight to keep him in Report £40,000 per week a contract.

The 31-year-old centre-forward has been an unreliable player for most of his time in West Yorkshire, failing to achieve double figures for league goals in… Four of his six Complete seasons so far.

In fact, since the start of the 2017/18 season – one year before he joined the club – no player in Europe, or the world, in leagues where data is available, has underperformed xG by more than Bamford.

per Visual game on Xusing a Table from FBrefthe Leeds striker underperformed by 23.9 goals – 4.8 more than Florian Sotoka, who has the second-worst xG conversion rate in the world over the past seven years or so.

What makes this statistic even worse is that FBref did not provide championship xG data until the 2018/19 season, so the striker, who missed the last three penalty kicks, still tops this list even though his form for Middlesbrough did not contribute to this – with 56 goals in the league From 79.9 xG Leeds.

With that in mind, and his lack of contribution this season compared to his weekly wages, Farke must offload Bamford by pouncing on one of the club's reported targets.

Leeds are eyeing a Premier League striker

The striker was Brighton & Hove Albion Ivan Ferguson Associated with a temporary movement To Elland Road at the start of the January transfer window.

Former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson He is said to be well connected with the clubHe urged the club to do so Follow up on the deal For the Irish international next month, he believes the Whites need a key player to strengthen their squad.

The retired goalkeeper, now an analyst, said the links with Ferguson would not go away and that the “scourge”, As describedHe will “score goals” for Leeds in the second half of the season.

Football Insider reported Brighton are prepared to send the 20-year-old striker out on loan to get regular playing time, where he is behind Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck in the pecking order.

The outlet added that a number of Premier League clubs are also interested in signing him, meaning Leeds would need to convince him to gain relegation to the Championship.

Farke must now push for a deal over the line where he can replace Europe's worst player – Bamford – with a great player at Premier League level.

Why should Leeds sign Ivan Ferguson?

The Irish striker has failed to establish himself as a regular starter for Brighton in the Championship, but his record with the club in recent years suggests the potential is there for him to be a star in the Championship.

Ferguson, who was Described as “exceptional” By James Milner He has been unable to get on the pitch this season due to an ankle injury that has kept him out of action For 146 days From the beginning of April to the end of August.

So it's just getting started Two have 11 He has featured in the Premier League this season, but has scored just one goal from 0.36 x for Brighton.

As you can see in the table above, the Ireland international, who only turned 20 in October, has scored 12 top-flight goals in the previous two seasons combined.

Ferguson has outscored his team by nearly three goals since his Premier League debut, showing that the youngster is a ruthless and effective striker at the top level.

Bamford has proven himself to be the worst player in Europe since his debut with Leeds, as he has been incredibly profligate in front of goal at Premier League and Championship level.

Therefore, Farke can improve his squad for the second half of the season by offloading the struggling Englishman and signing the deadly Irish goalscorer.