Leeds: Farke plots move for Emmanuel Dennis

Leeds United are in desperate need of reinforcements ahead of their Championship campaign starting in a few weeks and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.

What’s the latest on Leeds’ interest in Emmanuel Dennis?

According to Football Insider, Leeds are now considering a move for Nottingham Forest forward Emmanuel Dennis.

As per the report, the Whites are weighing up a move due to a high number of players either already departed or in the process of making moves away from Elland Road after suffering relegation to the second tier.

It is claimed that Leeds are keen to strengthen their attacking options and are now doing background checks on Dennis to ensure he is the right fit for the club.

How good is Emmanuel Dennis?

There is no doubt that after already losing Rodrigo and Brenden Aaronson this summer so far, Daniel Farke will be keen to bring in new additions who can make a difference in the final third over the Championship campaign.

The former Norwich City boss has twice masterminded promotion to the Premier League from the second tier, proving that with the right backing and full investment into his philosophy there is no reason why Leeds can’t bounce back to the top flight in no time at all.

As a result, the signing of Dennis could be a major coup for the West Yorkshire club and would provide Farke with a player who could be a great replacement for Patrick Bamford – who has been linked with a move away from Elland Road of late.

Whilst the Leeds mainstay was prolific during Leeds’ last spell in the second tier – scoring 16 league goals during the 2019/20 campaign – his quality and consistency has declined due to injury issues and an inability to get a good run of form together – with just 11 goals netted in all competitions over the last two seasons.

Indeed, Dennis hasn’t had the best time either since making the £20m move from Watford to Forest last summer and has struggled to get consistent game-time in the top flight at the City Ground.

Over 19 Premier League appearances last season, the 25-year-old scored two goals, registered two assists and created one big chance, whilst averaging just 39 minutes per performance which made it difficult for the versatile forward to deliver at the best of his ability.

Having said that, in the 2021/22 season – despite being relegated with Watford – the Nigeria international was a stand-out performer for the club due to getting more minutes at Vicarage Road – scoring ten goals and registering six assists over 36 appearances, with a goal contribution every 176 minutes, which could be incredibly valuable if he could emulate this output at Leeds next season.

Dennis has been the recipient of high praise over his career so far, with former Watford boss Claudio Ranieri full of compliments for his striker when he was managing the side in the Premier League:

“[Dennis] is a very talented player. He’s fast, has good skill, always runs straight to the goal – I love these kinds of players.”

Indeed, it is likely that the £40k-per-week menace will compete with Bamford for the starting spot in the centre-forward role, however, Dennis has experience also playing on the wider flanks of the forward line, so could be easily rotated in the team to give Farke more options across multiple positions.

With that being said, if Leeds can get a good deal for Dennis it would be a great piece of business for the club in their challenge to dominate the Championship next season, albeit while proving bad news for Bamford in his possible hopes of securing a regular starting berth.