According to The Telegraph, Stoke City boss Gary Rowett is interested in signing Birmingham City forward Che Adams. Birmingham signed Adams in the summer of 2016 from Sheffield United when Rowett was the man in charge at St Andrew’s.
Now in charge of Stoke City, Rowett is planning a reunion with the striker (h/t The Telegraph), who has been in solid form this season. And a move to Elland Road should be an exciting prospect for the 22-year-old.
Stoke have been struggling for consistency in the second division following their relegation from the Premier League last season. The Potters are currently 13th after managing just 5 wins in 18 games. Stoke are just six points off the relegation spots and have only scored 21 goals, 18 less than the division’s top scorers West Brom.
Leeds United, on the other hand, are firmly in the promotion picture heading into the festive period. The Whites are playing attractive possession-based football. Marcelo Bielsa’s side are within touching distance of leaders Norwich City.
The Argentine has been tasked with taking the Yorkshire club back to the Premier League. Signing Che Adams would ease the burden on Kemar Roofe, who has been topping Leeds’ goalscoring charts.
Roofe has scored 8 goals so far. Despite making 16 appearances, Roofe’s strike partner Liam Cooper has struggled to find the back of the net consistently. Cooper has scored just 3 goals and thus, Bielsa must strengthen the striking department at Elland Road.
Adams can operate anywhere across the forward line but is mostly deployed through the middle. A good dribbler, Che Adams can easily beat a man. He is also a threat in indirect set-piece situations and has a penchant for taking long shots.
The 22-year-old has scored 8 goals and provided 3 assists for Birmingham in 18 Championship games so far. It was his double back in September that ended Leeds’ unbeaten run. Adams was awarded the Man of the Match (MotM)honours for that performance.
Clearly, Marcelo Bielsa could use more firepower in the final third and Adams’ previous Championship experience would make him a valuable asset for Leeds.
For a player who made his name in the non-league before joining Sheffield United, the very prospect of providing the goals needed to push Leeds to their first Premier League return since 2004 should be an exciting one.
Working under the watchful eyes of Bielsa the perfectionist, Che Adams can only get better heading into his prime. If he can continue on his current form, Adams will undoubtedly boost Leeds’ promotion chances massively.
