Leeds United opinion: Kevin Lasagna would be a good fit for the Whites
A narrow defeat against Sheffield United at Elland Road on Saturday has seen Leeds United fall out of the automatic promotion places.
The Whites are in third place just a point behind second-placed Sheffield United, but a win would give Marcelo Bielsa’s men a final push for the final eight games left in the season. How Bielsa’s side will bounce back after Saturday’s defeat remains to be seen as we now embrace the international break.
One game doesn’t define a season and Leeds United are more than capable of bouncing back in the next game after the international break.
Despite tasting defeat against the Blades, there’s every chance of them achieving direct promotion and even though Bielsa’s focus will be solely on playing in the Premier League, he should start planning for next season from now on.
Any shortlist made by Bielsa should include a new striker to back up both Patrick Bamford and Kemar Roofe. Bamford has endured an injury-hit debut campaign at Elland Road, while Roofe – the club’s top scorer – has been missed in recent weeks due to a knee injury.
Beyond them is Tyler Roberts, who has performed really well but is very young to rely upon on a regular basis. That’s why the club need another striker and one man Bielsa must target is Udinese star, Kevin Lasagna.
Kevin Lasagna, 26, enjoyed a prolific debut season with Udinese that saw him find the back of the net 14 times in all competitions. However, his goals have dried up this season as he has managed just five goals so far.
Despite his drop in productivity, the Italian is a quality player and would be an ideal fit for Bielsa’s Leeds.
Quick, agile and adept at attacking open spaces, the 26-year-old’s ability to score goals and play off of his teammates are his strengths. Lasagna is a poacher in every sense, who waits for the opposition to commit a mistake.
His attacking movement and predatory instincts enables him to lose his marker and score goals from inside the box.
The three-cap Italy international has a hammer of a left foot that is capable of delivering some lovely goals from outside the box. Lasagna thrives more in a secondary striker’s role where he would get a chance to make runs into the space behind the defenders.
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He isn’t exactly adept at playing with his back facing the goal and that makes him tailor-made to play with either Roofe or Bamford up front for Leeds.
Verdict
Bielsa’s tactics demand his strikers to do their fair share of defensive work and Lasagna is an industrious player who’ll fit in well at Elland Road. All in all, adding someone of the Italian’s quality would definitely represent a coup for the Whites.