Farke could unearth his next Cantwell in Leeds move for £6m EFL wizard
Leeds United have enjoyed a strong start to the 2023/24 campaign and are currently fighting to catch up with the top two in the Championship.
The Whites are third as it stands and seven points adrift of Ipswich Town in second place, and eight points behind league leaders Leicester City.
German tactician Daniel Farke was brought in to replace Sam Allardyce at the helm and arrived with plenty of experience at this level, having won two Championship titles during his time with Norwich City.
The board backed him throughout the summer transfer window as nine new players came through the door; including Karl Darlow, Ilia Gruev, Jaidon Anthony, Djed Spence, Joe Rodon, Joel Piroe, Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, and Glen Kamara.
That may not be the end of the club's business this season, though, as Angus Kinnear did reveal that there will be funds available to the manager if further reinforcements are needed in January.
With this in mind, Farke could look to revisit his interest in a summer target who slipped through his grasp towards the end of the summer window – Ilias Chair – as the talented whiz could be his next version of Todd Cantwell.
Leeds transfer news – Ilias Chair
Journalist Darren Witcoop revealed on deadline day at the start of September that the Whites were keen on a deal to sign the Morocco international from QPR.
Leeds were said to have emerged as a late contender to secure his signature and that they were prepared to pay the £6m fee that their Championship rivals had been demanding.
However, Farke and Nick Hammond were too late as it did not give QPR enough time to find a replacement before the window slammed shut, which meant that Chair ultimately stayed with the London club.
League leaders Leicester were also eyeing up the impressive winger as a target to bolster their forward options but they needed outgoings to free up space for him in their squad.
Chair is under contract with QPR until the end of the 2024/25 campaign and the club have an option to extend that by a further year, which suggests that they are not under any pressure to cash in on him.
Leeds must now persuade them to part ways with the talented whiz in January, possibly by stumping up the £6m fee early enough to give them time to find a replacement, as they could lose one of their own forwards.
TEAMtalk reported at the end of October that Roma, Lazio, and Everton are all eyeing up Wilfried Gnonto as a target ahead of the January window.
The Italy international is said to want to play in the Premier League and saw a move to Goodison Park fall through over the summer as Leeds opted to keep hold of the 20-year-old dynamo.
It was also stated that sources close to the player believe that a transfer away from Elland Road is possible for the former Inter prospect at the start of next year.
Chair could come in as a replacement for the versatile attacker whilst also arriving as Farke's next version of Cantwell, who was a star for the German boss at this level with Norwich.
Cantwell's Championship form for Farke
The attacking midfielder made his breakthrough at Championship level under the current Leeds manager during the 2018/19 campaign.
Norwich won promotion to the Premier League that season, by winning the title, and Cantwell made 24 appearances and 18 starts in his first full year of senior football in Norfolk.
The then-20-year-old contributed with one goal, two assists, and six 'big chances' created in that time as he failed to provide consistent quality at the top end of the pitch.
He followed that up with six goals and two assists in 30 starts in the Premier League for Canaries as they were relegated from the top-flight the following term.
This provided Farke and Cantwell with another opportunity to take the Championship by storm, and that is exactly what they did – alongside the likes of Teemu Pukki and Emiliano Buendia.
The Norwich academy graduate produced six goals, six assists, and seven 'big chances' created in 30 league starts as the Canaries won another second division title.
Appearances
33
Sofascore rating
7.17
Goals
Six
Assists
Six
Key passes
53
Dribbles completed
53
Cantwell, who predominantly plays as a left winger or as a number ten, was an impressive attacker who liked to dribble, score goals, and create chances for his teammates on a regular basis and Chair could provide similar qualities for Farke this season.
The statistics that show why Chair could be Cantwell 2.0
The QPR star endured a difficult start to this season as part of Gareth Ainsworth's very direct system that did not allow him to flourish in possession.
Marti Cifuentes arrived in the dugout and has helped the 26-year-old whiz to get back to his best as an attacker who can score goals, create chances, and beat players with the ball at his feet, as shown by the table below.
Starts
Three
Sofascore rating
7.75
Goals
One
Assists
Two
Key passes
Five
Dribbles completed
Seven
Chair had zero goals and two assists in his previous 14 Championship appearances, which shows that his new boss has got him firing again.
The right-footed magician, who was once hailed as an "exciting" prospect by pundit Glenn Murray, came into this season off the back of an impressive 2022/23 campaign.
He racked up five goals, nine assists, and 12 'big chances' created in 40 Championship outings for QPR, to go along with 2.4 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per match.
Chair also averaged 4.73 progressive passes and 4.26 progressive carries per 90 last season, which placed him within the top 12% of players in his position within the division.
These statistics indicate that the EFL wizard, who also predominantly plays on the left or as an attacking midfielder, has the quality to be Farke's next version of Cantwell.
He has the ability as a scorer and a creator to make an impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis in the right set-up, as shown by his form last term and under Cifuentes recently.