Better than Bamford: Orta could sign major Leeds upgrade with "pacey" £9m-rated beast - opinion

Leeds could sign a potential upgrade on Patrick Bamford by landing Espanyol’s Raul de Tomas.

What’s the story?

According to Fichajes, the Whites are battling fellow Premier League clubs West Ham and Leicester in the race to sign De Tomas, with Bielsa keen on bringing another centre-forward to alternate with Patrick Bamford.

The report added that the departure of Spain international Rodrigo could help facilitate the arrival of De Tomas at Elland Road this summer.

Better than Bamford

Dubbed as a “pacey, competitive and technically-gifted goal-scorer”, De Tomas appears to have all the tools in his locker to be a real upgrade on Bamford at Elland Road.

In a bio written by his former club Real Madrid, it read: “A born-finisher with a great eye for goal, he is comfortable in any situation and lethal in both dead-ball situations and one-on-ones. Raúl also stands out for his mobility and the ease with which he can pass a player. His pace and technique make him a very complete striker.”

When you look at both De Tomas’ and Bamford’s figures from this season, then you can see why Leeds are so keen on fending off the competition to sign the former.

As well as scoring more league goals than the Leeds marksman this campaign (16 to 14), De Tomas’ underlying numbers in all the key attacking areas are far better than Bamford.

As per Sofascore, the Spaniard has missed far fewer big chances than Bamford despite playing the same number of league games, and also averages more key passes, more dribbles and more crosses per match.

The £9m-rated De Tomas appears to be the kind of perfect all-round striker with whom Bielsa would surely enjoy working at Elland Road, and it’s exactly why Victor Orta could sign a real upgrade on Leeds’ current number nine.

Reference: Football Fan Cast: Vijievan Jeevathayalan  2 days ago