Leeds United came from a goal down to beat Leicester City 3-1 in a top-of-the-table clash in the Championship on Friday. The comeback was ignited by Connor Roberts, a player brought to the club by Daniel Farke in January, before Archie Gray and Patrick Bamford found the net.
Roberts arrived on loan from Burnley until the end of the season and may have just lent Leeds a significant hand in their efforts to reach the Premier League, but his long-term future is unclear.
Game
Date
Mins
Rotherham United
10 February
15
Swansea City
13 February
13
Plymouth Argyle
17 February
7
Leicester City
23 February
17
As you can see in the table above, he's had to be content with fairly brief appearances from the bench so far as Farke continues to favour 17-year-old Gray at right-back. And based on the latest Leeds transfer news, the German may only view Roberts as a short-term solution.
Leeds now battle Spurs for Ebosele
According to HITC Football, Leeds are interested in signing Festy Ebosele from Serie A club Udinese. A number of clubs are watching his progress closely, including Premier League sides Spurs, Everton, West Ham and Leeds' promotion rivals Southampton.
Ebosele is particularly attractive to top-flight clubs given that he qualifies as a homegrown player following his time at Derby County. Udinese's sister club Watford are also admirers, but are the lowest-ranking side in the race.
"Rising star" Ebosele is a powerful runner
After joining Derby from the Bray Wanderers academy in 2018, Ebosele went on to make 41 first-team appearances over four years at Pride Park and then joined Udinese on a free transfer.
This Leeds star was Farke's real hero over Roberts against Leicester
The impressive Whites maestro put in a phenomenal performance in the middle of the park.
ByDan EmeryFeb 24, 2024
He's played 43 games for the Italian outfit to date, including 25 this season, and his tally of 19 league starts shows that he's made himself a key player. The 21-year-old has predictably caught the attention of his international bosses, and earned a senior debut for the Republic of Ireland in a 2-0 defeat to France in the autumn.
While Ebosele has been operating as a right wing-back, he's only managed one goal contribution this term (an assist in a 1-0 win away win over AC Milan in November). Instead, his biggest weapon has been his dribbling – he ranks fourth in the league for successful take-ons (fourth) and ninth for carries into the penalty area (31). Often, the only way for opponents to stop him reaching dangerous areas is to bring him down, which is why he's in the top 10 for fouls drawn too (39).
Dubbed a "rising star" by journalist Ryan Kilbane in an article for Football Talent Scout, he could be an excellent addition for a newly-promoted Leeds this summer, allowing Gray to shift into a specialist midfield role and Roberts to find a permanent new home.
