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Opinion: Leeds United’s pursuit of Augustin brings far more promise than Nketiah ever did

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Image for Opinion: Leeds United’s pursuit of Augustin brings far more promise than Nketiah ever did

Well, this might come as a little bit of a shock to those of you who are regular to this site.

But I think I’m actually going to be relatively positive about a Leeds United transfer story. Now let’s just hope he can deliver if and when the deal eventually comes through.

Reports from The Athletic on Friday suggested that Leeds United were in the hunt for AS Monaco’s Jean-Kevin Augustin, who is currently on loan at the Ligue 1 side from RB Leipzig. A further report from journalist Mike McGrath claimed that he had been given permission from AS Monaco to cut short his loan deal to get the process started.

It looks as if Leeds have finally got the message regarding Che Adams and have turned their attention elsewhere as a result, and I for one am rather looking forward to it, because at least this signing, should it go through, has a track record of actual results to the team rather than simply potential.

When Eddie Nketiah signed in the summer, my main problem with the deal was that a lot of the deal seemed to be based on his potential, given that he hadn’t played a lot of senior football before making the move to Elland Road, and that taking a risk on someone so young was a move that could backfire.

Whilst Augustin isn’t exactly the ideal move in my mind, I’ve made it clear before that the club should bring in an experienced veteran to come in as ‘backup’ rather than as competition for Patrick Bamford up top, it is a lot more agreeable to me than bringing in another unproven prospect.

Given that Leeds have decided to go down the ‘competition’ route, at least Augustin would come to the club with a lot more experience at senior level than a young prospect coming in on loan would do, and whilst it’s not Championship experience, it’s a lot more than someone like Nketiah brought to the table when he came in.

Would you be in favour of a move for Augustin?

Yes

Yes

No

No

Do I know if this move is going to work out? I’m not sure. When foreign players move to England, it’s always a bit of a lottery if they hit the ground running adjusting to new surroundings. For every Fernando Torres, there’s an Andriy Shevchenko. Let’s just hope he falls into the former category rather than the latter.

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