Leeds United are in a precarious position in the Premier League ahead of the final day of the season and Sam Allardyce has his work cut out to prevent them from facing a drop into the Championship.
The Whites will need nothing short of all three points from their Elland Road clash with Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow and will also need favours from Bournemouth at Goodison Park to have any chance of stealing the final survival spot.
Indeed, it is looking bleak for the West Yorkshire outfit as their top-flight journey has the potential to come to an abrupt end, but their problems go further than just spending a season in the second tier.
Sporting director Victor Orta has left the club by mutual consent, whilst Allardyce is unlikely to remain at the club beyond his short tenure, leaving Leeds with positions to fill on and off the pitch.
Despite the uncertainty in so many areas of the club, it hasn’t stopped them from being linked with potential targets ahead of the summer transfer window.
This week, it has been reported that Leeds could be a potential destination for Aris striker Luis Palma – a player who could become a hit at Elland Road if he joined forces with Wilfried Gnonto.
Who is Leeds target Luis Palma?
The 23-year-old has been attracting a lot of attention for his performances in Greece, with Burnley, Rangers, Fenerbahce, Olympiacos and Anderlecht named as other clubs interested in snapping up his services.
The Honduran goal machine has tallied up 15 goals and eight assists in 47 appearances, with a goal contribution every 107 minutes so far – an output that would be a huge asset to Leeds next season.
Earlier this month Aris boss Apostolos Terzis heaped praise on his forward after scoring two league goals that led to the side securing a spot in the Europa Conference League next season:
"Luis has done that all season. He has been a huge player for us. We know there has been a lot of interest in him and it's not surprising.”
According to Sofascore, Palma is the second-highest-rated player in the Aris squad this season and has averaged 1.4 key passes, 2.1 shots on goal, one successful dribble and 37.5 touches per game.
Although the Leeds squad is stacked with forwards, it has been the centre-forward role that has suffered the most, as Patrick Bamford has struggled with injuries and failed to deliver consistency in front of goal, which has contributed to their plight.
As a result, the signing of Palma could spark a new era at Elland Road and the next manager could benefit from forming a fantastic attacking partnership between the versatile forward and young talent Gnonto.
The Leeds winger has shown promising signs and glimmers of magic during his short time at the club but hasn’t had the consistent game time of late to positively impact the attacking threat. Meanwhile, questions have to be asked about whether they will be able to retain his services should they go down.
With that being said, no matter the outcome of Leeds’ season, there is an opportunity for a fresh start to be made after such a difficult campaign, and Palma could make a big difference in improving the forward line next season.