Dan James upgrade: Leeds want to sign "magical" star who's outscoring Piroe

Leeds United went through the January transfer window, which closed for business at the start of this month, without making an addition to their first-team squad.

The Whites were reportedly looking at potential signings to come in and bolster their squad, however, as they were said to be interested in a deal to sign Emiliano Buendia on loan from Premier League side Aston Villa.

Bayer Leverkusen eventually swooped in to sign the Argentina international on loan from the Villans, which ended Daniel Farke‘s chances of a reunion with the former Norwich playmaker.

Farke and his team have been flying without any extra help, from Buendia or anyone else, as they smashed Watford 4-0 away from home in their last match in the Championship.

The West Yorkshire outfit are now five points clear of Burnley in third place, and two ahead of Sheffield United in second, as they aim to secure automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking.

Despite there still being plenty of football left to be played, Leeds are reportedly looking ahead to the summer transfer window and who they could bring in to bolster their squad for a season in the top-flight.

Leeds eyeing German forward

The recruitment team at Thorp Arch are already hard at work to identify targets who could come in to improve Farke’s options across the pitch to deal with the step up to Premier League football.

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds are now one of a number of clubs eyeing up Celtic forward Nicolas Kuhn ahead of a potential swoop for his services at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

The report claims that Premier League sides Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion have both sent scouts to watch the left-footed forward in action this season, whilst other unnamed teams in England and abroad are interested in the attacker.

TEAMtalk adds that the Whites have a long-standing interest in the former Bayern Munich academy star and that they will have a chance to secure his signature if they win promotion out of the Championship this season.

The outlet reveals, though, that Celtic are not going to let the German dynamo leave without a fight and that they want a club-record fee of £26m from any team looking to sign Kuhn in the summer transfer window.

It also states that Leeds have an interest in Sheffield United midfielder Gustavo Hamer, Manchester City playmaker James McAtee, and Krasnodar star Eduard Spertsyan, which shows that they have plenty of targets that they are ready to pursue upon promotion later this year.

Leeds are fully aware of how difficult the jump from the Championship to the Premier League is, which is why they will need to get their recruitment spot on, and current star Dan James is a great example of the difference between the two divisions.

The duality of Dan James

The Wales international’s career at Leeds is the perfect example of how big the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is, if you look at his production at the top end of the pitch.

James joined the Whites from Manchester United on a permanent deal in the summer of 2021 and ended his first season with a return of four goals and four assists in 34 appearances in the top-flight.

The 27-year-old flop was then sent out on loan to Fulham for the 2022/23 campaign and only managed a haul of two goals and one assist for the Cottagers, before returning to Elland Road to play in the Championship.

As you can see in the table above, James has been incredibly more productive at the top end of the pitch at Championship level in comparison to his form in the Premier League with Leeds and Fulham.

These statistics suggest that he is more suited to second division football and that, despite his impressive form this season, he could be one of the players who Farke needs to sign an upgrade on in the summer transfer window.

Why Nicolas Kuhn could be a Dan James

Signing Kuhn from Celtic could ensure that the German head coach has the upgrade that he needs on the right flank, as his form in Scotland this season suggests that he has the potential to offer more than the Welshman.

The left-footed wizard has racked up an eye-catching return of 17 goals and 12 assists in 34 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants so far this term.

That is particularly impressive when you consider that Leeds’ top-scorer, Joel Piroe, has only managed 14 goals and six assists in 34 matches for the Whites this season.

This illustrates how big of a threat Kuhn could be for the Whites at the top end of the pitch as both a scorer and a creator of goals, in comparison to both Piroe and James.

There could be questions raised about the quality of the Scottish Premiership compared to the Premier League, but the German winger has also excelled in the Champions League for Brendan Rodgers this term – playing against the likes of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Aston Villa, and RB Leipzig.

As you can see in the table above, Kuhn has produced six goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in nine appearances in Europe’s premier cup competition for the Hoops this season.

The 25-year-old star, who was once hailed as “magical” by Rodgers, is also unfortunate not to be on three goals in the Champions League, as he had a strike chalked off because of Adam Idah being ‘involved’ with play in an offside position against Bayern Munich.

Overall, Kuhn has shown that he has the quality to make a difference at the top end of the pitch against some of Europe’s best teams, whilst he has also been on fire across all competitions for Celtic, as shown by his return of 29 goals and assists.

The left-footed wizard has the potential to come in as a big upgrade on Dan James, who has consistently struggled against high-quality opposition in the Premier League, and as a bigger goal threat than Piroe, who he has outscored in all competitions this season.

Therefore, Farke should push for the recruitment team to win the race for the former Bayern starlet’s signature if Leeds secure promotion to the top-flight ahead of the summer.