OPINION
Leeds United can give their promotion push a huge boost if they take advantage of the expected availability of Leo Bonatini next month.
The Wolves centre-forward has been a fringe figure since the club’s return to the Premier League and the summer arrival of Raul Jimenez, who has started 18 of the club’s 19 Premier League fixtures.
But he was a central figure in Wolves’ Championship-winning campaign last season, when he scored 12 league goals before making his loan move a permanent one last summer.
Now, Football Insider report the Premier League club are set to send Bonatini out on loan for the second half of the season along with rarely-used teammate Kortney Hause.
It is said that manager Nuno Espirito Santo has given the green light for the pair to temporarily quit “so that they can valuable first-team action under their belts as they are unlikely to break into his side” for the rest of the campaign.
Leeds must make sure they’re at the front of the queue to land Bonatini, who showed last season that he is a real handful at Championship level.
With doubts over Patrick Bamford’s knees and the need for proven back-up to Kemar Roofe, who can’t be expected to carry the goalscoring burden alone, a move for the 24-year-old Brazilian makes total sense.
Marcelo Bielsa has worked wonders with the majority of the squad who stumbled to a 13th place finish last season.
But Leeds are in need of reinforcements and the addition of Bonatini could make them unstoppable in their hunt for automatic promotion.