Leeds risk Noah Okafor ‘disaster’ as transfer edges closer
Noah Okafor could be on his way out of Leeds United just months after arriving at Elland Road.
The Switzerland international completed his switch to the Premier League for a fee of around £18million in the summer, but the writing may already be on the wall for his time in English football.
Okafor quickly became a key player for Leeds in the early weeks of the season, but his influence on the West Yorkshire outfit has gradually waned in recent weeks.
Daniel Farke’s side have been resurgent in their last few games, but the team’s renewed hope of survival has seemingly come at the expense of their winger.
Serie A interest mounting amid Noah Okafor doubts
Okafor arrived as a statement signing for Leeds in the summer, but his impact has been relatively limited so far this term.
The ex-AC Milan star netted goals against Wolves and Tottenham in the early weeks of the campaign, but he is now without a goal involvement since 4 October.
The quality of his performances are understood to have created doubts regarding his future at Elland Road, according to Milan Live.
Okafor still has plenty of potential suitors back in Italy, and a move is seen as a possibility for him either in January or next summer.
Relegation would undoubtedly increase the chances of a summer departure even further, and it would be no surprise to see the wideman retreat to the comfort of a familiar environment in Serie A if he continues to struggle in the Premier League.
That would be a simply disastrous scenario for Leeds, who will be extremely reluctant to see a significant investment turn his back on them so quickly.
Okafor is a victim of Daniel Farke’s tactical switch
Farke has turned Leeds’ fortunes around in recent weeks by making a clever switch to a 3-5-2 formation.
That has prompted a four-match unbeaten run for the Whites, including emphatic victories over both Chelsea and Crystal Palace on home turf.
The tactical tweak appears to have unlocked the potential of this Leeds side, but while it has benefitted the majority of the squad, it has had the opposite effect on Okafor.
The 25-year-old is leading the line alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the absence of Lukas Nmecha, but he is no longer able to take up the wide positions that made him such a threat earlier in the season.
Okafor has operated in a central role before, but it is clear that his skill set is far more suited towards a role that allows him to square defenders up in wide areas.
However, Farke has to do what is best for the team, and if that means sacrificing much of Okafor’s attacking threat in exchange for survival at the end of the season, then that is a trade that he would undoubtedly accept.