Why Leeds United should take a punt of Cauley Woodrow in January
Back in January earlier this year, a report from The Sun had claimed that Leeds United were interested in signing Cauley Woodrow from Barnsley to bolster their attack. However, those rumours came to nothing and the 26-year-old stayed put at Oakwell, where he has continued to fire on all cylinders in the Championship.
Woodrow started his career at Luton Town before moving to Fulham in 2011. Having represented the Cottagers across various age groups, he spent time on loan at Southend United in League Two to further his development. Woodrow eventually made his first-team breakthrough at Craven Cottage towards the end of the 2013-14 season, scoring once in 5 PL starts for the club.
He spent time on loan at Bristol City and Burton Albion in the Championship before joining Barnsley on loan in League One. Woodrow fired the Tykes to promotion at the end of the 2018-19 season and made a big impression in the second-tier last term. The Hertfordshire-born striker bagged 14 goals in 40 appearances to guide his club to safety.
Woodrow has continued to impress as a key player for Barnsley in the Championship this season. He has registered 7 goals and 4 assists in 17 appearances so far, making him the club’s top goal contributor.
With fixtures set to come thick and fast during the second half of the campaign, Leeds should definitely look for some fresh additions in January to bolster squad depth. While bringing in reinforcements at the back should be high on the agenda – Leeds have conceded 30 goals already – Marcelo Bielsa also needs to weigh up potential signings at the other end of the pitch.
Bamford has shouldered the bulk of the club’s goalscoring workload, with 10 goals in 15 appearances. But with Rodrigo Moreno struggling to make a big impact at Elland Road, the Whites should seek some additional cover next month. Tyler Roberts is currently the only alternative but he has been linked with a departure after offering very little in the top-flight.
Putting things into perspective, Leeds United making a renewed attempt to sign Cauley Woodrow in January would make plenty of sense. The former England U-21 international has shown significant improvement at Barnsley in the Championship over the past 18 months. At 26, the time might just be right for him to make a return to the Premier League.
Woodrow’s versatility to operate as a centre-forward and also as a supporting striker would potentially hand a real boost to Bielsa’s dynamics. With more than 130 appearances in the second-tier, the 26-year-old certainly has the experience to offer Leeds a quality alternative to Rodrigo and Bamford up top. He would certainly represent a massive upgrade on Tyler Roberts in that regard.
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Verdict
Leeds United were in the Championship the last time when they were linked with a move for Cauley Woodrow. But they shouldn’t hesitate to offer the former Fulham star a route back to the top-flight. He looks more than capable of making the step-up and could be a useful squad option for the Whites.