So far this summer, it’s been notably quiet on the hunt for an esteemed new centre-forward at Leeds United. Yes, Lukas Nmecha is through the door but he will not be first choice.
Rodrigo Muniz of Fulham is clearly a player United admire and, by the way - in keeping with this summer’s theme - is over six foot tall. Yet ask fans whether he is the type of quality they hoped Leeds would be signing and there is always a pause before the reply.
Muniz is a big-game player with goals against Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal last season - but United need more a scorer who will find the net against the teams around them. Plus he failed to play a full 90 minutes in the league last term and ended it with an achilles injury.
There is always concern over how a player has recovered from such a setback before big money is splashed on them. On the other end of the scale, available for nothing, Callum Wilson’s injury record will cast doubt in the mind of potential suitors following his Newcastle United contract expiry.
“No-one wants to get injured and a lot of the time it was because I was selfless and put myself forward to play in games when I wasn’t 100 per cent fit to try and help the team because we might not have had a striker,” Wilson insisted when speaking to the i this week. “It was to the detriment of myself and that’s why I then had these setbacks.”
Still, suffering at least two significant setbacks in each of the past five seasons is concerning. There has been no indication that Leeds are in for the 33-year-old, who still harbours Premier League ambitions - and in any case Wilson seems to have cast the dice.
“I’m not at a point mentally where I’m ready to sit on the bench and play number two for the whole season. I don’t mind yo-yoing here and there but it’s got to be a fair fight,” the England international explained.
Leeds will not be able to facilitate that and, to be frank, neither would most top-flight clubs. It’s probably safe to surmise that the only role Wilson could have played Daniel Farke’s plans has just been taken by Nmecha, who also has injury concerns but notably fewer but is younger.
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There’s an argument to say Joel Piroe starts ahead of Wilson. Leeds are after someone who will usurp him. And besides, United already have a player of similar ilk - and injury strife - to Wilson in Patrick Bamford.
His latest comments surely now deadens the links between Wilson and Leeds. The Whites still have to clear the decks in the striker department anyway, with Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood surely set to be sold and Mateo Joseph pondering over his next steps.
Four strikers - a new signing, Piroe, Nmecha and Bamford - is ample enough numbers and most if not all will likely consent to their position in the pecking order. It seems Wilson wouldn’t, which ought to be the final nail in the speculation coffin.
All the while, eyes are currently locked on his former teammate at St James’ Park. While a third bid has been knocked back for midfielder Sean Longstaff, talks are not dead in the water just yet.
The player is very much open to the move, though clearly Leeds will need to submit a more appetising offer than the £12m proposal they tabled this week. Unlike Wilson, he would be guaranteed more game time and has proven to be reliable with fitness.
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