{"id":26254,"date":"2026-04-11T20:29:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/04\/11\/leeds-united-eye-this-32-year-old-striker-will-he-solve-their-problem-or-delay-it\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T20:29:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T20:29:41","slug":"leeds-united-eye-this-32-year-old-striker-will-he-solve-their-problem-or-delay-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/04\/11\/leeds-united-eye-this-32-year-old-striker-will-he-solve-their-problem-or-delay-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Leeds United Eye This 32-Year-Old Striker: Will He Solve Their Problem Or Delay It?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Leeds United returned to the Premier League this season after two years away, earning promotion as Championship winners under Daniel Farke. The Whites are now in a tough spot, battling West Ham<\/a>, Nottingham Forest<\/a>, and Tottenham<\/a> to stay clear of the final relegation place, with just four points between the four clubs.<\/p>\n

Staying up would reportedly give Farke a \u00a3100 million<\/a> transfer budget, as the 49ers ownership and Red Bull partnership continue to put serious financial backing behind the club. With the summer window coming up and squad upgrades high on the list, Farke is already looking toward the continent for targets.<\/p>\n

Leeds United eye Tabakovi\u0107 from Gladbach<\/strong><\/h3>\n

German newspaper Bild, via Sport Witness<\/a>, reports that Leeds have a strong interest in signing Haris Tabakovi\u0107, the 31-year-old striker currently on loan at Borussia M\u00f6nchengladbach from Hoffenheim. Tabakovi\u0107 has done well during his time in the Bundesliga, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in 30 games across all competitions. His stats are exceptional with an npxG of 9.47, which puts him in the top 91st percentile of Bundesliga players, while his goal involvement is 0.64 per 90 minutes. His 20% conversion rate also beats Dominic Calvert-Lewin\u2019s 17%. (Stats via Footy Stats<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Bild initially mentioned reports from Bosnia linking Lille with the forward to replace Olivier Giroud. However, the German outlet then shifted focus to Leeds United, noting Tabakovi\u0107\u2019s frustration that Gladbach haven\u2019t spoken to him about his long-term future.<\/p>\n

Gladbach sporting director Rouven Schr\u00f6der pointed to tight finances and a crowded front line as reasons for the delay, with Tim Kleindienst, Shuto Machino, and Tomas Cvancara all set to be in the squad this summer. Tabakovi\u0107, who will play in this summer\u2019s World Cup with Bosnia and Herzegovina, has said that without any news, he expects to head back to Hoffenheim for another season.<\/p>\n

Would Tabakovi\u0107 actually solve Leeds\u2019 problem or simply delay it?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Leeds
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA \u2013 MARCH 31: Haris Tabakovic of Bosnia & Herzegovina celebrates after scoring a penalty kick during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The link makes sense on paper, but it needs a closer look. Farke has already shown through his transfer plans that a striker is a priority. While Calvert-Lewin has scored 10 Premier League goals, there are still doubts about whether he can lead the line alone. Tabakovi\u0107\u2019s numbers in Germany are strong, and his aerial strength, winning 51.1% of duels compared to Calvert-Lewin\u2019s 39.6%<\/a>, would suit Farke\u2019s direct, two-striker system.<\/p>\n

However, the worry isn\u2019t about his ability, but his age. He turns 32 before next season starts. Clubs don\u2019t usually buy 32-year-old forwards to build a future around; they buy them as a quick solution. If Leeds United stay up and want to become a solid mid-table Premier League side, spending a lot on a player at the end of his career could be the kind of short-term thinking that have held the club back before.<\/p>\n

With the 49ers and Red Bull providing the funds, Leeds United can afford to go after a younger striker who has already proven himself in the Premier League. Tabakovi\u0107 could be a useful squad player, but making him the main signing of the summer would show a lack of ambition right when Leeds need it most.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leeds United returned to the Premier League this season after two years away, earning promotion as Championship winners under Daniel Farke. The Whites are now in a tough spot, battling West Ham, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham to stay clear of the final relegation place, with just four points between the four clubs. Staying up would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13963,"featured_media":26255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}