Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke followed in Marcelo Bielsa’s footsteps this season by becoming the latest boss to win the Championship title for the club.
The Whites recorded a club-record 100 points in the second tier with a 2-1 win over Plymouth Argyle on the final day of the season, to earn their promotion to the Premier League.
Bielsa, of course, then went on to keep the team in the top-flight with a top-half finish in the 2020/21 campaign, before he was relieved of his duties midway through the following season.
Farke will now be hoping to follow in the Argentine great’s footsteps once again by coaching the team to avoid relegation from the Premier League at the first time of asking, something that he was unable to do in two attempts at Norwich City.
Recruitment in the upcoming summer transfer window will be key to the success or failure of the German head coach next season, as shown by how important Bielsa’s signings in 2020 were.
Victor Orta and the board backed the manager by making several significant signings to bolster the squad, including high-profile forward Rodrigo from Valencia.
Why Rodrigo was a key signing for Leeds
Leeds pushed the boat out to smash their transfer record with a £30m deal to sign the Spain international ahead of the 2020/21 campaign to back Bielsa.
Rodrigo had already been capped 22 times by his country and had scored 59 goals and delivered 41 assists in 220 appearances for Valencia in all competitions, which meant that the Whites were signing an experienced player at the top level in Europe.
The West Yorkshire outfit knew that they had to add proven quality to their squad to handle the jump from the Championship to the Premier League, so they went out and signed a player who had been there and done it, albeit in Spain instead of England.
Rodrigo delivered seven goals and two assists in 26 matches in the Premier League in his debut season with Leeds to steer them clear of relegation, which was then followed up with six goals and one assist in 31 games in the 2021/22 campaign under Jesse Marsch.
The Spanish star’s haul of 13 goals and one assist in 31 matches in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign was not enough to prevent relegation back down to the second tier, but there is no doubt that he played a role in their survival in his first two years at Elland Road.
Rodrigo was, therefore, a key signing for Leeds because he brought proven quality and made an instant impact at the club in the top-flight, which is why the club should try to repeat that masterclass this summer.
Leeds eyeing deal for Serie A striker
The Whites could be on their way to finding their next Rodrigo in the upcoming summer transfer window, as they are reportedly eyeing a new centre-forward.
According to an Italian journalist, Leeds United are lining up a move to sign Lecce number nine Nikola Krstovic to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
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Farke already has Joel Piroe, Mateo Joseph, and Patrick Bamford vying for one place in the starting line-up, but it is seemingly looking to add even more quality to his attacking arsenal.
Krstovic will not come cheap, though, as the reporter adds that Lecce, who are at risk of being relegated from the Serie A, are set to demand a fee of around €25m (£21m).
It now remains to be seen whether or not Leeds are prepared to pay the £21m that the Italian team want for their star striker, but they should consider doing so because he could be their next Rodrigo.
Why Krstovic could be Rodrigo 2.0 at Leeds
The 49ers should swoop to sign the £21m-rated striker for Farke because he has proven his quality in one of Europe’s major leagues and would be a player who could make an instant impact in the Premier League, rather than a player from the lower leagues in England or a young player with it all to prove.
Like Rodrigo, Krstovic would arrive at Elland Road as a seasoned international footballer. He has scored six goals in 24 caps for Montenegro to date, which shows that he has performed well on the international stage for his country.
The 25-year-old star made a name for himself in Slovakia with Dunajska Streda by scoring 37 goals in 66 matches in all competitions, an unbelievable return in front of goal for the striker, which earned him a move to Lecce in the summer of 2023.
Krstovic, who former manager Roberto D’Aversa claimed has a “hunger for goals”, did not take much time to adapt to life in one of Europe’s major leagues, with a return of seven goals in 35 games in the 2023/24 Serie A campaign.
Appearances
35
36
Goals
7
11
Right-footed goals
4
7
Left-footed goals
1
3
Headed goals
2
1
Big chances created
4
4
Assists
1
4
As you can see in the table above, the Montenegro international has showcased his quality in front of goal, with 18 goals and eight ‘big chances’ created, in his two seasons with Lecce in the Serie A to date.
A return of 11 right-footed goals, four left-footed goals, and three headed goals also shows that he is a versatile goalscorer who can thrive off a variety of service, rather than being limited to one way of scoring goals.
His statistics for Lecce perfectly illustrate why he could be Rodrigo 2.0 for Leeds because he has proven that the quality is there for him to make an instant impact in the Premier League as a goalscorer, given what the forward has already achieved in Italy.
This is why Farke must push the board to get a deal over the line for the £21m marksman, because Krstovic could bolster the club’s hopes of avoiding relegation from the top-flight by providing a big goal threat throughout the campaign.
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