Leeds United would repeat costly transfer mistakes with £15m PL man
Leeds United would repeat costly transfer mistakes with £15m PL man
Leeds United have been linked with a move to sign Newcastle United left-back Matt Targett this month, claimed to have lodged an enquiry for the defender.
Leeds have only a matter of days left in the January window to secure any signings that they see fit for Daniel Farke’s squad.
Defence is something of a concern purely on an injuries front, with Junior Firpo coming back from a fairly lengthy layoff while Pascal Struijk is set to return this week to full team training.
Leeds ‘enquire’ for Matt Target from Newcastle United
A report from The Athletic this week revealed that Leeds had lodged an enquiry over Newcastle United left-back Matt Targett.
The 29-year-old has been struggling for playing time this season with Lewis Hall nailing down a starting spot under Eddie How, playing just 12 minutes so far this season.
Newcastle are said to be open to letting the defender leave, having paid £15million to sign him back in the summer of 2022 – he is contracted until 2026.
Leeds need to avoid Matt Targett deal, would be a big mistake for Farke
At face value, a player with Premier League experience such as Targett might be a worthwhile signing for Leeds as cover for Firpo.
He’s a left footer that is not only solid defensively for this level, but also decent enough going forward, but there’s a massive problem.
Targett has only played 12 minutes this season, and since the start of the 23/24 campaign, he’s clocked up just 206 minutes due to constant injury troubles.
His absence during the 23/24 season was down to both a long-term hamstring problem and then an achilles injury, which suggests he’s not going to be the sharpest signing Leeds could make if they want a left-back capable of eating up ground on the left wing like Firpo has done and Jayden Bogle does on the right.
Farke has constantly reiterated that the January window is one where most available signings come with a catch, be that a high price tag, lack of form or lack of fitness – all three of those likely apply to Targett.
According to Capology, he brings in £100,000-per-week, which is well above what Leeds would be able to pay, and if they can justify anything near that, the player has to be a sure thing, which Targett isn’t.
As much as signing a left-back might be worth Leeds considering this month if Firpo can’t stay fit again, but the pressure to land players in January has forced us into poor signings before (see Jean-Kevin Augustin) and it’s a mistake we shouldn’t be making again.
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