Keane 2.0: Leeds make £20m star a top target to replace Calvert-Lewin
da 888casino： Leeds United are in crisis up front. The Whites have simply not been good enough in front of goal in the 2025/26 campaign, which is no doubt one of the reasons why they are relegation contenders in their first season back in the Premier League.
da dobrowin： This term, Daniel Farke’s side have only found the back of the net 11 times in just 12 games. That is worse than all but one side in the top flight, bottom-place Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Their expected goals tally is not much better, standing at just 15.21xG. The likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has one goal this term, have not yet got going.
With the January transfer window around the corner, it might not be a surprise to hear the West Yorkshire side are targeting a new number nine.
Leeds’ hunt for a new centre-forward
It is certainly frustrating for Leeds that they are in the position of needing a new striker.
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Of course, they signed Calvert-Lewin on a free this summer after his deal at Everton expired, and Lukas Nmecha on a free following the expiration of his Wolfsburg contract.
Yet, here we are again, with the Whites back in the market for a number nine.
According to talkSPORT, the player could be AZ Alkmaar and Ireland striker Troy Parrott. The 23-year-old is said to be ‘high on their list of striker targets’.
However, they are not the only Premier League side looking to get a deal for the 33-cap Ireland star.
Fellow strugglers, Wolves are also looking into a deal, with the report suggesting a fee of at least £20m is what it would take to sign him.
Why Parrott would be a good signing
It would certainly be a good addition for Leeds if they were able to bring Parrott to Elland Road this winter.
He has been in scintillating form for Alkmaar, with 14 goals in 15 games this term, taking his total up to 34 strikes in just 62 appearances.
He is certainly a “rejuvenated” striker, according to football talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Indeed, his underlying stats are impressive too. This season in the Eredivisie, the former Tottenham Hotspur academy star is averaging 1.04 goals and 0.74 goal-creating actions per game, which rank him in the top 7% and 2% respectively.
Those stats show just how effective he is in the final third.
Parrott – 25/26 Eredivisie stats
Stat (per 90)
Number
Percentile
Goals
1.04
93rd
Shots on target
1.63
93rd
Expected goals
0.93xG
98th
Take-ons completed
0.5
9
83rd
Goal-creating actions
0.74
98th
Stats from FBref
Of course, it is not just for his club where Parrott’s form has been excellent. In November, he became a hero of Irish football, scoring two goals against Portugal and then a hat-trick against Hungary to see his nation reach the World Cup playoffs.
The third goal against Hungary was an extraordinary 96th-minute winner.
If he were to move to Elland Road, the 23-year-old would no doubt love to replicate another former Irish striker who impressed in West Yorkshire.
Robbie Keane spent 18 months at the club between December 2000 and August 2001. After initially joining on loan from Inter, he made the move permanent that summer, before joining Spurs a year later.
He only played 56 times for the club, but certainly left a mark.
Keane bagged 19 goals in that time, which included three goals in the UEFA Cup and a memorable brace away to Manchester City at Maine Road.
It is easy to see the comparison between Parrott and Keane, as two clinical, highly-rated Irish strikers. The younger man, for instance, was even hailed in the past as the “best prospect” to have come out of Dublin since his compatriot, in the view of then-Belvedere F.C. Director of Football Affairs Vincent Butler.
The Alkmaar star is slightly older than the former Inter man was when he signed, yet both additions are examples of the Whites buying into potential and investing in the future.
If Parrott were to make the move to Elland Road this summer, he would no doubt love to follow in the footsteps of Keane and have the same sort of impact as his countryman did at such a young age.
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