Leeds United can enjoy Christmas Day knowing that they are in the automatic promotion places in the Championship after their win over Oxford United on Saturday.
The Whites beat the visitors to Elland Road 4-0 and remained in second place in the table, as they aim to get promoted back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.
Dan James, Jayden Bogle, Brenden Aaronson, and Manor Solomon all got their names on the scoresheet in the emphatic win for the West Yorkshire outfit.
Daniel Farke’s side fell short of their objective of earning promotion back to the top-flight when they were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the play-off final at the end of last term.
They will, therefore, be eager to avoid the lottery of the play-offs this time around, and they are currently on course to do that by finishing in the top two.
The German head coach has won automatic promotion from the Championship twice before, both times with Norwich City, and had the phenomenal talent of Emiliano Buendia to help him in both seasons.
Emi Buendia's title-winning form for Farke
The Argentina international, who currently plays for Champions League side Aston Villa in the Premier League, was a crucial part of the Canaries team that won the second tier in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns.
Buendia was a target for Leeds in the summer transfer window but Angus Kinnear confirmed that the player did not want to drop back down to the Championship, and Villa were unwilling to let him go at the time.
Signing the Argentine wizard from the Villans would have been a huge coup for the Whites because his form for Norwich under Farke in the second tier was incredibly impressive.
As you can see in the clips above, his two seasons at Championship level with the Canaries were littered with sensational moments of magic from the diminutive forward, who could create and score goals with relative ease.
Buendia played a key role in both promotions with his contributions in the final third, although it was his form in the 2020/21 campaign that earned him a big move to Aston Villa in the summer of 2021.
Appearances
38
39
Goals
8
15
Big chances created
7
18
Key passes per game
2.4
3.1
Assists
12
16
As you can see in the table above, the Norwich star provided regular quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, particularly in the second title-winning season.
His form in the 2020/21 campaign also illustrates why Buendia may not want to return to the Championship, as the magical dynamo has already proven that he is too good for that level.
Farke could, however, unearth his next version of the Argentine ace by swooping for one of Leeds United’s reported transfer targets in the upcoming January window, which officially opens for business next week.
Leeds United linked with Premier League star
It was reported in November that the Whites are preparing a move to sign Manchester City attacking midfielder James McAtee on loan next month.
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Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola opted to keep hold of the England U21 international in the summer, but he has only made two appearances as a substitute in the Premier League this season, which suggests that the Spanish boss overestimated how much he would need the midfielder.
The Whites are now hoping that the Premier League champions change their mind and make him available for a loan move in the second half of the season, so that they can swoop in and bolster their squad for a promotion push.
Speaking to Football Insider in November, ex-Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson claimed that the club have made an offer to sign the English dynamo, but added that there are other clubs in the race to secure his services.
The former Premier League goalkeeper said: “Leeds have made an audacious bid for him. He’s had two really good loans at Sheffield United, West Ham have been in the mix and he’s been linked with Fulham, but it’s not just going to be them.”
It now remains to be seen whether or not a loan move for McAtee is realistic for Leeds in January, but he could come in as a Buendia-esque option for Farke in the second half of the season if the club can get a deal over the line for him.
Why James McAtee could be Emi Buendia 2.0
Like the Argentine sensation, the Manchester City outcast is a diminutive playmaker with superb close control who can provide a threat as both a scorer and a creator for his teammates.
The 22-year-old spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan with Sheffield United in the Premier League and showed signs of promise at the top level, with three goals and three assists in 20 starts.
His form in the 2022/23 season in the Championship, during his first loan spell with the Blades, is what suggests that he could come in as an excellent signing for the West Yorkshire outfit in January, though.
McAtee’s performances were impressive enough for Blades striker Carl Asaba to compare him to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, who has been named in the PFA Team of the Year in the Premier League in each of the last two seasons.
Asaba said: “He’s like Odegaard. You play him in midfield so he’s defending for you, he’s another body for them to try and navigate away from but he likes the ball 30 yards out because he can go past you like you’re not there.”
That is incredibly high praise, when you consider that Odegaard scored 23 goals and provided 17 assists in his last two full league seasons, and illustrates how impressive the Englishman was during his time at Bramall Lane.
Starts
21
35
Goals
9
8
Big chances created
6
7
Assists
3
12
Dribbles completed per game
1.1
1.4
As you can see in the table above, McAtee produced similar numbers to Buendia’s 2018/19 form in his Championship promotion-winning season with the Blades, with the same number of goals and ‘big chances’ created combined.
The English dynamo ranked within the top 1% of midfielders in the division that term for non-penalty xG and Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.50), and the top 18% for shot-creating actions per 90 (3.41).
This shows that he was one of the best midfielders in the Championship at making an impact at the top end of the pitch, with his ability as a goalscorer and a creative threat shining through for Paul Heckingbottom’s side.
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Leeds must, now, persuade Manchester City to loan McAtee to them for the second half of the season, so that Farke can unearth his next 2018/19 version of Buendia at Elland Road.
