Leeds United scored a number of signings in the summer transfer window last year, as they built a squad that could avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jaka Bijol, James Justin, Anton Stach, Noah Okafor, among others, have proven that they have been able to perform consistently in the top flight.
Their most expensive signing of the window, and their most expensive signing since Georginio Rutter in January 2023, was Swiss international Okafor.
The West Yorkshire outfit paid £18m to sign the attacker from Italian giants AC Milan, after a loan spell with Napoli for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
The way Leeds beat Noah Okafor
Despite the money paid for the striker, Okafor did not arrive at Elland Road as the slam dunk player expected to be.
In fact, there were questions raised about the deal because he scored just one goal in 21 games in all competitions for Napoli and AC Milan combined last season.
In two seasons in Italy, the left-sided attacker scored seven goals and provided five assists in 57 appearances in all competitions, but Daniel Farke saw potential in him and believed he would suit his style at Leeds.
|
25/26 PL |
Noah Okafor |
|---|---|
|
Appearance |
28 |
|
xG |
5.26 |
|
Goals |
8 |
|
Great opportunities have been created |
4 |
|
It helps |
1 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
1.4 |
The Swiss star then scored more goals in the Premier League last season than both AC Milan and Napoli in the previous two years combined, showing that the German head coach was ready to take a chance on him.
As Leeds hit the jackpot in Calvert-Lewin, who scored just three Premier League goals for Everton before moving to Elland Road, the Whites struck gold in Okafor.
The club deserves credit for being willing to risk players who may not join full of confidence and lack great form, because it has allowed them to build a great team without breaking the bank.
A new Okafor could be on the way to sign for Leeds
Now, the Premier League side are looking for another target who fits that criteria, and he could join to become the next version of Okafor in West Yorkshire.
The Spanish newspaper Sport says that Leeds United is one of the many teams interested in signing Barcelona striker Roony Bardghji in the summer transfer window.
The report says that the Whites have already made inquiries about a possible move for the Swedish player, who is likely to leave the Nou Camp before next season.
It is added, however, that Sunderland, Brighton and Aston Villa have also made efforts to look for the winner, who has been told that he will be allowed to leave Barcelona permanently or on loan this summer.
Looking at his face, Bardghji looks like he is cut from the same cloth as Okafor as he scored just two goals in 28 appearances for Barcelona in the 2025/26 campaign.
As a Swiss midfielder, the Leeds target has failed to produce impressive numbers at the other end of the pitch for the European giants, but his goal does not paint the full picture.
| 25/26 LaLiga | Bardghji is 90 | Position vs wing players |
|---|---|---|
| xA | 0.26 | Top 12% |
| Opportunities are created | 1.97 | Up to 27% |
| Great opportunities have been created | 0.42 | Up to 23% |
| Successful dribbles | 3.09 | Top 6% |
| Dribble success rate | 54% | Top 20% |
| A touch in the opposition box | 5.20 | Top 15% |
The 20-year-old striker has been given just seven starts by Hansi Flick in LaLiga, which is why he hasn’t picked up the highlights, but his performance in the 90s suggests he has the potential to explode if given regular game time.
Interestingly, he ranks highest among wing players with 90 tackles, rubberstamping comparisons to Okafor, and explaining why Deco praises him as “Lamine Yamal-like”.
Bardghji, who journalist David Ornstein says wants to be “the best player in the world” in the future, also showed promise for the Spanish giants in the Champions League, with a ‘big chance’ created and one assist in 103 minutes of play.
The young Swede, who scored eight goals in 27 games for Copenhagen in the 2023/24 campaign, has provided quality in the limited minutes he has been given behind the likes of Yamal, Ferran Torres and Raphinha.
He could be given more opportunities to show his quality at Leeds, as Okafor is after his move from Milan, and that could help him realize his potential and eventually produce goals and assists regularly, rather than limited cameos.
So, Bardghji could end up being Farke’s next version of Okafor by risking the boy in the hope that he can thrive in a new place in West Yorkshire.
