Leeds United continue surge but need more fire-power

head coach Thomas Christiansen said attention would turn to making Leeds United even more potent in attack after the club soared to third with Saturday's win at Championship hosts Nottingham Forest.
Victory sealed: Leeds players celebrate after Gianni Alioski's goal.
Picture: Simon HulmeVictory sealed: Leeds players celebrate after Gianni Alioski's goal.
Picture: Simon Hulme
Victory sealed: Leeds players celebrate after Gianni Alioski's goal. Picture: Simon Hulme

Goals from Kemar Roofe and Gianni Alioski fired United to an impressive victory at the City Ground as Leeds again excelled despite the sale of last season’s top scorer Chris Wood to Burnley for £15m.

The Whites signed 19-year-old Dutch striker Jay-Roy Grot for an initial £750,000 last week, but the teenager started on the bench as Roofe fulfilled the lone striker role. The former Oxford United player took just 24 minutes to open the scoring with a cool header and victory was sealed when winger Alioski unleashed a 20-yard thunderbolt with three minutes to go.

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Leeds, though, remain short of strikers with Roofe and Grot the club’s two first-team options with summer recruit Caleb Ekuban facing a spell on the sidelines with a foot injury.

United are known to be keen on Middlesbrough striker Rudy Gestede and saw a £6m bid rejected by the Riverside club last week.

The Whites have also been linked with a move for Malmo’s striker/winger Pawel Cibicki.

After witnessing what he felt was United’s “best game so far”, Christiansen admitted attention would turn to United’s options up front with the Dane set for talks with chairman Andrea Radrizzani and director of football Victor Orta.

The summer transfer window closes at 11pm on Thursday.

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“Of course, the league is very long for us to have, let’s say, just Jay and Roofey,” said Christiansen. “

We have Ekuban out injured so we will see. We have to see what is the exact situation or type of player we want to bring. I will speak with Victor and Andrea and see what we will do.”

Second-choice goalkeeper Rob Green yesterday completed his expected move to Huddersfield Town with the Whites bringing in former Elland Road No 1 Andy Lonergan from Championship 
rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers as back-up to Felix Wiedwald.

Nottingham Forest: Smith; Darikwa, Worrall, Mills, Traore; Bridcutt, Bouchalakis (Brereton 51), Dowell, Osborn (Clough 63), McKay, Murphy (Cummings 71). Unused substitutes: Evtimov, Lichaj, Mancienne, Walker.

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Leeds United: Wiedwald, Ayling, Jansson, Cooper, Anita, O’Kane, Phillips (Vieira 88), Alioski, Hernandez (Grot 70), Saiz, Roofe (Dallas 75). Unused substitutes: Peacock-Farrell, Borthwick-Jackson, Shaughnessy, Klich.

Referee: J Simpson (Lancs).