Leeds have had their fair share of striker problems this season, as other than Patrick Bamford Bielsa has found it difficult to trust the other players he has brought in.
Both Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Kevin Augustin have failed to provide and all-round game, as their combined two starts would suggest.
The fact that French outlet Le Foot report that Metz forward Habib Diallo is a target of the club is therefore a positive step, as he fits the mould of an attacker that Leeds would certainly benefit from having.
It is believed that the club would seek €20m (£17.7m) for his signature, a fee the Whites could be prepared to depart with, but maybe only if they reach the Premier League.
The financial boost that would bring opens up Marcelo Bielsa’s options, but he could also find himself competing with some big clubs, as Chelsea, Leicester and Crystal Palace are also linked with Diallo.
That is understandable given the 24-year-old’s record this season, with 12 goals from 26 league games in what is just his second season playing in the French top-flight.
Prior to that he had found the net consistently in Ligue 2, manging 26 league goals for Metz as they were promoted last term.
He is not just a goalscorer, however, and in fact would offer many Premier League clubs, as well as Leeds, something that they lack – physicality up-front.
Is signing Diallo likely to help Leeds?
Yes
No
The manner in which Bamford leads the line for the Whites clearly pleases Bielsa, having missed just one league game in 2019/20, but he doesn’t have the aerial presence of a Diallo or a Chris Wood, having averaged one aerial duel won per league game, according to WhoScored.
Former Whites’ striker Wood knew how to find the net at Elland Road. His 27 goals from 41 league games earned him a move to Burnley but he also won 3.3 aerial duels per game that season.
It is an impressive return, but doesn’t match Diallo. The Frenchman has managed 4.3 aerial duels won per game this season, thus proving he’d add another string to the bow of the Leeds attack.
That makes him a unique alternative to Bamford that both Nketiah and Augustin failed to provide this season, with both strikers using their pace to cause problems for defences.
Another similarity to Wood is that he falters when it comes to pass accuracy, with a success rate of 67% this campaign comparing to Wood’s 62% in his last season for Leeds.
While it doesn’t suit Bielsa’s style of play, with the Whites averaging 60% possession, it is an area of his game the Argentine can improve, and if that happens Leeds could be even more dangerous next year as a result.