Leeds now keen to sign 25 y/o goalscoring defender who may replace Struijk
da bet7k： Leeds United have their eyes on a new centre-back signing and one who could come in to replace Pascal Struijk.
Leeds return to top of Championship with win over Middlesbrough
da pinnacle： The Whites and Daniel Farke managed to get back to winning ways in the week after a run of just one victory in their previous six Championship games with a 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough.
Dan James’ early goal proved to be the winner, although Ao Tanaka and Patrick Bamford both had goals wrongly ruled out for offside.
Leeds’ win, coupled with both Burnley and Sheffield United dropping points, ensured that they’d return to the top of the table with just five games remaining.
Talking after the game, Farke said: “I’m proud of my boys. It was a tough game, overall an excellent advert for the Championship. Both sides had periods, but in the end we found a way to win this game and it was crucial today to return to our clean sheet behaviour.
“We had to dig in, had to deal with a couple of injuries and had one day less in between games, and Middlesbrough were in red-hot form. “We had to dig in and show steel and togetherness and spirit to bring this over the line in a hard-fought game and a well-deserved win.”
Championship run-in
Leeds (85 pts)
Sheffield United (83 pts)
Burnley (85 pts)
Preston North End (h)
Plymouth Argyle (a)
Norwich City (h)
Oxford United (a)
Cardiff City (h)
Watford (a)
Stoke City (h)
Burnley (a)
Sheffield United (h)
Bristol City (h)
Stoke City (a)
QPR (a)
Plymouth Argyle (a)
Blackburn Rovers (h)
Millwall (h)
Leeds won at the Riverside without Pascal Struijk, with the left-footed centre-back suffering an injury against Luton Town. There is a concern that Struijk may have a fracture in his foot and could be out for the season, which resulted in Ethan Ampadu filling in at centre-back.
Now, a transfer target has emerged on the Elland Road radar who could prove to be a replacement for Struijk.
Leeds keen on signing Modibo Sagnan
According to reports in France, relayed by Sport Witness, Leeds and the 49ers are interested in signing Montpellier HSC centre-back Modibo Sagnan.
Like Struijk, Sagnan is a left-footed defender and could be on the move this summer with Montpellier bottom of Ligue 1. Leeds could take advantage of their potential relegation with a move for the Mali international.
Sagnan, 25, can also turn out as a left-back as well as a centre-back and has played for the likes of Real Sociedad, Lens and FC Utrecht before joining Montpellier.
Over the last 12 months, Sagnan has ranked in the top 10 percentiles when compared to centre-backs in the big five European leagues for both goals and take ons – he has scored five times in 39 games for his current employers.
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Leeds United could be about to land an attacking star to improve their ranks next season.
Struijk also has an eye for goal with Leeds, but by the looks of things, should Leeds win promotion, a move for Sagnan could be one to watch.