As per one of the stories in the rumour mill, Championship outfit Leeds United had apparently put Valencia’s Alvaro Negredo on their radar as their target to beef up their attacking arsenal. However, Leeds have missed out on their man as he has moved to Besiktas.
The Whites are breathing a new life under their new manager in the form of Thomas Christiansen who is doing a lot of chores in terms of getting the right personnel under his command and is undoubtedly looking forward to take his side to the promised land of Premier League.
Garry Monk had a riveting impact on the West Yorkshire based club last season as he made shrewd usage of the resources he had at his disposal. However, he failed to make his troops cross the line owing to their sporadic run of form during the business end of the season which did cost them the chance of finishing inside the top six of the Championship table.
Thus, it goes without saying that Christiansen has the pedestal already created and he just needs to find the right balance in his side to get the requisite results and take the Peacocks a step further. While Negredo’s rumoured move to Elland Road might have sounded like something crazy to the football fraternity, it made perfect sense.
The Spaniard spent his last season with Middlesbrough and smashed 9 goals and also registered 4 assists to his name, but wasn’t able to steer the Smoggies to safety.
Marcelino Garcia Toral has made it clear to him that he isn’t in his plans for the upcoming campaign and considering Negredo’s more than decent spell in England, Leeds United had seemingly opened their doors for the former Manchester City striker.
The 31-year-old would have been a ground shattering signing for Leeds United as his experience and sheer predatory instincts could have paved the way for healthy competition in the Championship club for bagging a place in Christiansen’s starting line-up, which boasts of a certain Chris Wood.
Also known as ‘The Beast’ for his notable physicality, Negredo is very sound technically, is good in the air and toils hard up front. Further, his movement and technique inside the box or in its vicinity would have made him a touch too good for the Championship defenders to handle.
In a fairly one-dimensional Boro side, he did pretty well, so Leeds’ more dynamic style would have suited him.
Statistics Credits: Whoscored
