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Dean Jones believes Leeds United’s centre-forward situation is ‘ridiculous’ following the January transfer window.
The Lowdown: Rodrigo out
Rodrigo has been Leeds’ main source of goals this season, with the Spaniard scoring 12 times in 22 appearances across all competitions.
However, former manager Jesse Marsch decided to bring the 31-year-old on at Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup when Leeds were winning comfortably, with Rodrigo suffering an ankle injury late on.
He faces a two-month spell on the sidelines, leaving Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter as the only senior options.
The Latest: Jones’ comments
GiveMeSport asked Jones about Leeds’ January additions in a story shared following Javi Gracia’s Elland Road appointment. The reporter doesn’t think that the club did enough in the final third after failing to sign an experienced Premier League forward, labelling it as ‘ridiculous’ and ‘too late to fix’.
“In hindsight, no. Even at the time, we knew that they were ideally looking for someone who had a decent goalscoring record in this league, but they didn’t do it. So, there was always a chance they were going to find themselves in a situation where goals were going to be a problem.
“It really is ridiculous that Leeds still find themselves in this situation, where they don’t know what their source of goals is. But it’s a problem that’s too late to fix.”
The Verdict: Rutter a gamble?
Rutter was the man to arrive at Elland Road last month in a club record deal from Hoffenheim. The 20-year-old is still awaiting his first goal for the Whites and is yet to start a Premier League game, failing to make an immediate impact.
There already seems to be some doubt from Yorkshire chiefs regarding the big-money move for the Frenchman, so you could say that Jones is right when he says Leeds should have targeted a proven forward in the Premier League.
The Whites and Gracia will have to make do, though, and hopefully, the new head coach will be able to get Leeds back scoring freely once again after netting just twice in their last five Premier League games.
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