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2 pros and 2 cons to Leeds United heading back in for club-record forward in January

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Leeds United have been linked again with a move to sign AC Milan forward Charles De Ketelaere, amid a concerning start to the season.

There are a number of areas that Leeds need to attend to where January business is concerned, both with incomings and outgoings.

In terms of a striker coming into the club, plenty have already been linked in the build-up to the new year, and TEAMtalk have now reported that Charles De Ketelaere is being watched closely by the club.

His slow start to life at the San Siro with AC Milan has alerted Leeds to the possible chance of a loan deal, hoping to offer him the opportunity to kickstart his form after the World Cup.

This comes after Leeds tried for the forward with a €40million offer, only to see him opt for the Serie A holders instead.

Here, we look at two pros and two cons to Leeds heading back in for the 21-year-old with a January loan move…

Pro: Drastically improves our quality

One thing that we have to address with De Ketelaere is that to suggest that he’s somehow now made out to be a poor player is laughable.

Half a season is no way to judge someone as young as him, especially after making such a big move.

So, looking at what he can offer us, he would no doubt be a great improvement to our attacking setup, wherever he ended up playing for us.

De Ketelaere would be our best player, and that says a lot about him, given we’ve definitely improved in that sense with our summer business.

Con: Only a loan

The January window is a hard window to find great long-term quality, given most clubs are reluctant to sell those types of players halfway through a season.

However, any permanent signing would be better for the club in the medium-term when compared to signing De Ketelaere on loan.

There’s no chance of us signing him permanently at the end of any agreement, knowing that an improvement would be great news to Milan – a poor loan wouldn’t convince us to sign him either.

Which position is most important in January?

Striker

Striker

Left-back

Left-back

Central midfielder

Central midfielder

Other?

Other?

Pro: Fills two gaps

A key strength of De Ketelaere’s is his versatility to play across the front line.

He might be best off playing in a central role as some sort of ‘second striker’, but he can lead from the front, while also operating out wide too.

That style of signing would be a huge bonus to Jesse Marsch, knowing it kills two birds with one stone and adds depth to the midfield too.

Con: Not as relevant a signing now

De Ketelaere was labeled as the ‘icing on the cake’ by Andrea Radrizzani when the club were linked with him in the summer.

He’d still be some coup now, but the club have much bigger priorities right now, knowing a more traditional number nine and left-back are more pressing concerns.

The ship seems to have sailed in trying for De Ketelaere, and while not many would complain with signing him, it doesn’t seem like the sort of signing we need right this second.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.