Leeds United have been linked with a surprise move for Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga this month, according to the Mirror.
The Whites have been in hot pursuit of a new striker this month following the loss of Eddie Nketiah, who has returned to Arsenal, combined with Patrick Bamford’s struggles in front of goal this season.
The Leeds man currently only has 10 goals to his name which isn’t a completely disastrous return by any means and could see him hit 20 for the season if he finds form for the latter stages of the campaign.
However, the clamour for a striker stems from the fact that Bamford could have easily had 20 league goals already this season with the number of chances that Leeds create for him on a weekly basis.
With Leeds searching for another striker, they have reportedly cast their eye over a potential deal for Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga, according to the Mirror. Assombalonga has struggled to find any consistency this season in Jonathan Woodgate’s first season in management but is still regarded as one of the best finishers in the division, given his form in previous seasons and both Boro and Nottingham Forest.
With Leeds clearly eager on a striker and reports linking them with a move for the Boro number nine, we take a look at his numbers this season to see whether it would be a good move for the Whites this month…
Assombalonga has been a regular fixture of Woodgate’s Boro side this season but injuries and his fitness issues have kept him out of the side since the victory over Charlton back in December.
With this lengthy absence, Assombalonga has managed to clock up 1966’ minutes for Boro this season, showing that he was an important part of the side up until that lengthy injury layoff.
In that time, he has netted just five times and registered a single assist. It hasn’t been the most fruitful campaign for the striker whose most prolific season for Middlesbrough was his first when he scored 15, along with scoring the same amount in 2014/15 for Forest but in 17 fewer games.
He is always regarded as one of the most prolific goalscorers in the league after he made his move to the Riverside from Forest, however, his numbers don’t stack up to that level of performance from him. His expected goals figures don’t make for great reading either when taking into account what Leeds would need him to do to solve their problems.
Leeds need a striker to sign and hit the ground running, gobbling up chances that have been going begging for the last 18 months under Marcelo Bielsa and could ultimately cost them promotion.
Assombalonga’s current xG score stands at an alarming 7.63, meaning he is performing well below where he is expected to, based on the chances he is getting on the end of. Bamford suffers from a very similar problem as he underperforms against xG.
Even though he has missed a large chunk of the season, having only an xG score or 7.63 from 20 league appearances is very low for someone that is being looked at as the potential answer to the Whites’ goalscoring dilemma.
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In terms of link up play, there is no problem whatsoever with Assombalonga, who has averaged passing accuracy of 79% this season, a very good percentage to achieve when playing in a side struggling at the wrong end of the table in the most part. He is seen as a traditional number nine that can hold defenders off well with his strength but is also comfortable on the ball to bring other players into the attack, something that would be crucial under Marcelo Bielsa.
He has managed to take 80 touches in the opposition box this season, averaging 3.66 per game, which is considerably lively for a player not really hitting the heights of form that a lot of fans know he is capable of. These numbers would certainly spike in a team that is used to more possession in Leeds, so he would be much more lively in the box, seeing his touches increase per game along with his passing accuracy.
Another issue for the Whites that needs solving is the lack of aerial presence in both penalty areas. Leeds have the worst conversion rate form corners in the league, despite the fact that they have been awarded the most in the division by a long way.
Assombalonga is a very strong forward that can hold his own against some of the toughest defenders in the division, but his rate of winning aerial duels only stands at 24.5% this season, which one would have expected to be a lot higher, given how he is usually the focal point to a lot of Middlesbrough attacks.
The former Forest man is one of a number of targets that Leeds are keen on this month as they look to cover their options and not miss out on getting at least on of them strikers tied down. However, these numbers don’t do Assombalonga many favours in terms of proving he is the man to take Leeds back to the Premier League, given his sub-par conversion rate that highlights the key issue with him that Leeds are obviously trying to avoid in the back end of this season.