Leeds struck gold on “electric” star who’s worth millions more than Archer

The race for promotion in the Championship is heating up. Leeds United currently hold the advantage and are one point clear of second place Sheffield United, with 59 points to the Blades’ 58. However, Daniel Farke’s side have a game in hand, which could be crucial as they look to extend their lead.

However, the Whites are yet to do any business in the transfer market, and with just days remaining of the January window, they are cutting it fine. Football League World’s Leeds pundit Kris Smith explained that it is a “real concern” they have not done any business yet.

However, that could all be about to change in the final days of the window, with Leeds linked to striker Cameron Archer.

Archer’s potential move to Leeds

The former Aston Villa and Sheffield United striker Archer was first linked with a move to Elland Road by Nizaar Kinsella, a journalist for BBC Sport.

Kinsella explained that the move is a possibility, with ‘early talks having taken place’ for the centre forward. It is thought he would be willing to make the move to the Championship side.

If there is one thing that Archer could add to this Leeds side, it is experience in the second tier of England. He has already experienced the Championship with two different sides, Preston North End and Middlesbrough, where he scored 18 goals and grabbed seven assists in 40 games.

However, the former England under-21 international has also shown he can do it in the Premier League. This season, despite being part of a struggling Southampton side, he has managed to score twice, with one of those goals coming against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

There has not been a clarification of the price should Leeds attempt to bring Archer in on a permanent deal. However, he joined the Saints for £15m in the summer, and they surely want to recoup that money, if not make a profit.

Interestingly, the Whites have an attacker who is worth way more than their winter transfer target.

The Leeds player worth more than Archer

The player in question here is Italian international Wilfried Gnonto. The 21-year-old has impressed again under Farke this term, playing a crucial part in Leeds’ title challenge for a second consecutive season.

This season, the attacker, who hails from Verbania in northwest Italy, has scored four times and registered five assists in the Championship.

He began the season on fire, with eight goal involvements in 16 games. That included a goal and assist against Coventry City in a 3-0 win at Elland Road.

However, that does mean that, in his next 11 games, the youngster has only managed to find the back of the net once. With that being said, he has not been a regular starter in recent weeks, and at only 21 years of age, is still putting up some impressive numbers.

When looking at Gnonto’s stats, courtesy of FBref, from the 2024/25 Championship season it is clear to see that he is a talented player. For example, on average, he creates 1.94 chances per game and completes 1.83 take-ons per game. Football statistician Statman Dave described him as “electric” for a reason.

With all that considered, it might not be a surprise that the young winger is valued as highly as £30m by CIES Football Observatory. That is double the fee that Archer cost Southampton in the summer, and perhaps double what he could cost the Whites.

This has been a brilliant investment from the Yorkshire side, who originally paid £3.8m for the youngster, back when Jesse Marsch was the manager at Elland Road. To see his value not only rise by almost ten times but also to see him worth so much more than their current transfer targets, is impressive.

Whether or not they bring Archer in, Leeds will always have Gnonto who is worth so much to the club, both financially and as a player.

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