GREAT NEW: Ipswich Town is reportedly in negotiations with AC Milan to secure the signing of Olivier Giroud.

Leeds United: Remarkable Patrick Bamford goal masks an unexpected recent vulnerability for the Whites.

Leeds United boasts a formidable arsenal this season under Daniel Farke’s leadership, particularly since the beginning of 2024. Despite their impressive resurgence and their ability to challenge teams like Ipswich and narrow the gap with Championship leaders Leicester City, there’s one aspect notably missing from their offensive repertoire: long-range goals.

With players like Crysencio Summerville, Dan James, Willy Gnonto (especially effective away from home), Joel Piroe, Patrick Bamford, and Georginio Rutter, Farke commands a talented group capable of scoring goals. However, despite their dynamism, it’s surprising that they’ve only managed to score once from outside the box in their last 112 attempts (0.89%).

Jonny Cooper from Opta highlighted on Twitter on March 9th that Patrick Bamford’s spectacular goal in the 3-0 FA Cup victory against Peterborough United on January 7th stands as Leeds United’s sole goal from outside the box during this stretch, with Cooper acknowledging, “It wasn’t bad, mind.”

If Leeds United were indeed holding out for another long-range strike of similar quality, fans will undoubtedly hope that the next one matches up, considering the scarcity of such examples since.

While it’s challenging to find fault with this Leeds side, given their relentless form and the stumbles of their rivals— with the 3-2 defeat away to Chelsea being their sole setback this calendar year—perhaps long-range shooting could be considered a weakness.

However, since the team excels in creating chances from close range, this perceived weakness may not be of great concern, particularly given their recent successes. Nevertheless, if opposing teams opt to adopt a defensive approach and sit back behind the ball during the run-in, Leeds might find themselves in need of another long-range thunderbolt or two to clinch vital victories.