With Malian striker Sory Ibrahim Diarra linked with a move to Elland Road, the futures of some of Manchester United’s current attackers may be jeopardised.
Leeds United‘s current options are certainly not struggling to find the back of the net, as they added two more goals to their tally against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon.
There is an embarrassment of riches at the top end of the pitch for Daniel Farke, who started with Dan James, Joel Piroe, and Crysencio Summerville behind Georginio Rutter – that is the German’s settled foursome of choice and they are proving to be rather prolific.
Between the four players, there have been 28 goals and 19 assists in the Championship, accounting for 47 of United’s 62 goal contributions in the league – that is quite impressive, and they are all keeping a talent in the form of Wilfried Gnonto out of the starting 11.
Leeds are being linked with new strikers in the January transfer window, with in-form AFC Wimbledon hitman Ali Al-Hamadi on the club’s radar – another name has emerged as a target in the past week, despite how good they have been in front of goal.
Leeds United have been linked with a Malian striker.
According to a Mali-based publication, United, along with Serie A outfit Salernitana, are interested in Sory Ibrahim Diarra.
The 23-year-old has been playing in Norway’s top flight for Haugesund since the start of 2023, and he scored eight Eliteserien goals for the Seagulls in his first season.
The 23-year-old, who stands nearly six feet and two inches tall, has plenty of pace but can also be physical, which could make him a striker with untapped potential for Leeds if they look into a January deal.
However, Leeds do not lack strikers in their squad, and this rumour could spell bad news for two current United number nines.
Bamford and Gelhardt may suffer as a result of their Diarra connections.
Farke has settled on a consistent front four thanks to Georginio Rutter’s good general form with Piroe in behind, but there are two other Championship quality strikers in reserve in the form of Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt.
Bamford has previously demonstrated his ability for Leeds, most notably in the Premier League in 2020-21, when he surpassed his goal tally from the previous season in the Championship with a 17-goal haul in the top flight.
However, injuries have since set in, and last season saw a general lack of form for the centre-forward, and after beginning the current season injured, Bamford has been forced to play second fiddle to French youngster Rutter.
Bamford may also be lacking confidence, as evidenced by his penalty miss against Stoke City earlier this season, which the Potters went on to win 1-0 – he has yet to start in the league this season, with all of his appearances coming off the bench.
Gelhardt, meanwhile, has shown flashes of brilliance in the Premier League since joining from Wigan in 2020, but after a half-season loan stint at Sunderland in 2022-23 for more game time, he, too, has fallen out of favour with Farke.
The 21-year-old has only made five Championship appearances, two of which were starts, and hasn’t been seen on the pitch since a brief cameo against Sheffield Wednesday in September.
Despite this, The Athletic claim that Gelhardt and teammate Charlie Cresswell will not be loaned out in the January window, but sitting on the bench every week is no doubt slowing the pair’s development.
Gelhardt is being pursued by both Huddersfield Town and Hull City for a loan deal in January, but for the time being, he appears to be staying at Elland Road to make up the numbers.
That could change if Diarra arrives in West Yorkshire; the fact that this interest has emerged and Al-Hamadi has been scouted indicates that Farke wants reinforcements in that area, so Bamford and Gelhardt‘s days may be numbered.
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