The already chaotic summer transfer window has certainly livened up in the past couple of days involving the newly promoted Premier League sides. Sunderland and Leeds United seem to be regularly locking horns over who to buy, with the Black Cats winning many of the battles so far, as seen in Regis Le Bris’ men pipping the Whites to the signature of £30m midfielder Habib Diarra.
On top of that, they are now raining on the Elland Road parade further by nearing a deal to land Noah Sadiki, who was also on Leeds’ radar.
Still, there’s plenty of time for Leeds to iron out deals away from finding themselves somewhat in Sunderland’s shadow, as a whole host of standout names continue to be linked to West Yorkshire.
Leeds' latest transfer business
The panic button won’t be pressed just yet, considering Leeds are already three signings down as they go about building a Premier League-ready team.
But, there are priority positions that are in need of reinforcements still, with Gustavo Hamer notably continuing to be linked to Elland Road to gift Daniel Farke and Co. more numbers down the left wing, and in the troubled number ten position.
On top of that, a brand-new goalkeeper to replace a shaky Illan Meslier is also a must, with a fantastic target now coming to the surface.
As per Leeds Live, the Whites are still monitoring the situation of Brazilian shot-stopper Lucas Perri, and are said to be ‘exploring’ a move, with the likes of AS Monaco also noted as an interested party in the Lyon goalkeeper.
Lyon’s dire financial situation remains up in the air, with Leeds potentially capitalising on their woes to land the 27-year-old for a cut-price deal, but no bid or even talks have occurred just yet.
Why Perri would be a better signing than Sadiki
This could well be seen as a better buy long-term for Leeds than their failed pursuit of Sadiki, with Perri at the top of his game last season in Ligue 1, meaning the Whites could be handed a top-flight-ready ‘keeper very soon, over having to persist with Meslier.
Of course, winning the services of the Congolese international would have been an ideal scenario as Leeds attempt to bolster all over the pitch.
Indeed, Sadiki – when glancing at his career-wide numbers – can slot into various spots on the pitch if needed, with the 20-year-old starlet having played in defence on 12 occasions, while also excelling as a central midfield option.
Yet, at £17.75m – which is the agreed fee Sunderland have reportedly signed off on – it is a risky move, with the up-and-coming Union Saint-Gilloise prospect having to get up to speed with the demands of the Premier League fast.
Further, with Ao Tanaka, Ilia Gruev, and Ethan Ampadu already at Farke’s disposal centrally, a pricey addition here might not be seen as the most pressing capture to make.
Whereas, for a reported £13m, snapping up Perri’s signature should be viewed as a no-brainer to try and get over the line, with the South American ‘keeper even featuring in the Europa League last season for Paolo Fonseca’s men.
Games played
33
39
Goals conceded
44
29
Saves
116
65
Goals prevented
+6.05
-2.35
Clean sheets
10
21
Whilst the table above might initially sway those into thinking Meslier is just about the stronger ‘keeper when staring at clean sheets numbers alone, Perri was in a far tougher terrain last campaign in the French top division, with the Lyon number 23 preventing a whopping 6.05 goals in the process courtesy of his shot-stopping.
On the contrary, his ex-Lorient counterpart had far too many error-strewn displays – irrespective of his 21 clean sheets overall – leaving him with a worrying -2.35 in this regard.
Further lauded as being “the best goalkeeper in the world” by Fonseca last season, this feels like a signing that would make Leeds a far more competitive force when returning to the Premier League, rather than hoping for Sadiki to come good in such a challenging environment.
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ByDan Emery