Leeds United are aiming to establish themselves as a steady Premier League outfit after winning promotion in style last season
The Whites have performed fairly well in the top-flight under Daniel Farke and have already managed to achieve more points than either of his two Norwich City teams in the past, with a fair chunk of the season still to play. They have a steady gap on the relegation places heading into the final furlong of the campaign, but still have to remain consistent if they are to avoid sinking back into danger amid West Ham’s recent resurgence.
Should Leeds achieve survival it would very much present a job well done for Farke, who will have achieved everything asked of him as Whites boss so far. However, in the long run the team’s aspirations is to be challenging at an even higher level and to do that the team will naturally need to continue investing in the transfer window. A lot of top names are on Leeds’ radar for the summer and one of those is a rising attacking midfielder that’s already become the captain of his country.
Leeds United plot swoop for Eduard Spertsyan
According to TEAMtalk reporter Graeme Bailey, Leeds are interested in securing the signing of Eduard Spertsyan this summer.
Spertsyan is a 25-year-old central attacking midfielder with 40 caps for Armenia and 11 goals at international level where he captains the team. At club level, he plays his football in the Russian Premier League with FC Krasnodar. He may not be a household name in all of Europe due to the league’s sides being barred from competing in UEFA competitions due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, but it’s fair to say that in Russia he’s very much regarded as one of the division’s best talents.
Spertsyan has played his entire career for FC Krasnodar and boasts an overall record of 53 goals and 45 assists in 168 appearances for the South Russian outfit, while notably helping them win the league title for the first time in their history last season. The midfielder has achieved significant success in Russia on an individual basis, winning Russian Premier League Midfielder of the Season on two occasions.
Spertsyan is growing from strength to strength in Russian football, and is viewed as a talent more than capable of translating his talents over to a top European league.
He has eight goals and 13 assists in 18 league appearances so far this season, making him one of the most productive players on the continent in terms of goal contributions. The player is also thought to be keen to explore opportunities outside of the Russian Premier League and test himself in England.
It’s worth noting, however, that current UK sanctions make it difficult to conduct transfer business with Russian clubs. And that’s something that’s only likely to change once the conflict in Ukraine ends. However, Red Bull’s multi‑club network may give Leeds an advantage in this saga as they’d be able to potentially have a workaround that most other English clubs simply don’t possess. For example one of the other Red Bull teams could buy the player and then loan him to Leeds with an option to buy.
For now it remains to be seen what happens. Leeds still need to survive in the Premier League, and they need to be sure that any deal to sign Spertsyan is done within the rules of the game. But it is thought by TEAMtalk that there’s strong interest from the West Yorkshire club.
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