Leeds United Opinion: Whites should play a low-cost gamble on Swiss forward Michael Frey
Back in May, a report from the Yorkshire Evening Post claimed that Leeds United were linked with a move for Fenerbahce centre-forward Michael Frey in the summer transfer window.
The same report added that Whites Director of Football Victor Orta was looking to prioritise the acquisition of some quality domestic talent ahead of the upcoming season, with the 24-year-old Swiss an exception.
However, rumours linking Frey with a move to Elland Road gradually faded away and given the 24-year-old’s sketchy injury record at Fenerbahce, few fans would have had much to complain about.
Interestingly, Leeds might be tempted to reignite their interest in Michael Frey, with reports from Turkish outlet Turks Voetbal claiming that Fenerbahce are willing to let the 24-year-old depart for a bargain fee of €2 million in the summer window.
With the Whites in desperate need of a new centre-forward heading into the upcoming campaign and Fenerbahce willing to get the 24-year-old off their books, the Yorkshire giants might fancy a roll of the dice in a bid to bring the former Swiss youth international to Elland Road.
Once regarded as one of the brightest emerging prospects in European football, Frey was tipped to be the future No.9 for Switzerland at the international level.
However, recurrent injuries have stalled his progress and the striker his yet to make his senior international debut for his nation. He continues to be an exceptional talent, and at 24, there is still plenty of time left for his to realise his full potential.
A youth product of famous Swiss club BSC Young Boys, Frey registered 37 goals and 20 assists in 137 appearances for his boyhood club in all competitions over the course of four seasons before earning a move to Ligue 1 with Lille back in 2014.
However, that proved to be the beginning of his downfall and his stint in France turned out to be an ill-fated one, with injuries restricting his output to just 3 goals in 21 games over the course of a couple of seasons.
A return to his homeland with heavyweights FC Zurich saw him rediscover his old form before Turkish giants Fenerbahce swooped for him last summer. However, another injury-stricken campaign saw Frey make just 22 appearances for the Turkish outfit in all competitions, although he still managed to chip in with 5 goals, including 2 in the Europa League.
To put things into perspective, Michael Frey might have struggled a lot with injuries over the past few seasons but few would dare to argue that he is capable of finding the net consistently when he is at his best. While the fans might still feel that signing the 24-year-old would be nothing but a waste of money, Leeds could reap rich rewards by splashing just €2 million on the Swiss hitman.
Lack of a prolific and devastating centre-forward up front was one of the major reasons behind Leeds’ downfall in the second half of this past season.
Kemar Roofe topped the scoring charts at Elland Road with 15 in the Championship last term but he was still some way short of matching the returns of Billy Sharp (Sheffield United), Tammy Abraham (Aston Villa), Dwight Gayle (West Brom) and Teemu Pukki (Norwich City), given that each of them surpassed the 20-goal mark with ease.
The likes of Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts just didn’t do enough last season and the arrival of 6ft. 2-inch powerful hitman Michael Frey would definitely add another dimension to the Whites attack. Blessed with incredible upper body strength and a good first touch, the Swiss excels with his aerial ability, link-up play and intelligent movement in front of goal.
Frey would have been a no-go transfer for Leeds just a month back but his imminent availability in a cut-price deal should prompt the Whites to play a low-cost gamble on him.
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The 24-year-old is more than capable of adding a lot of firepower to their ranks if he manages to keep himself fit next season, and keeping that in mind, it would certainly be a gamble worth taking for the Yorkshire giants.
