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Former Leeds United boss Simon Grayson has raised the question of whether bigger clubs will come for Noah Okafor, whose ceiling he is unsure of.
AC Milan were initially unwilling to sell the Swiss forward in the summer window, but the lure of the Whites proved too strong for Okafor to resist and he moved to England.
The Yorkshire giants became happy very quickly after they brought him to Elland Road, where he signed a four-year deal.
One former White said that the Swiss international is a player who he thinks is horrible to play against and he made a bright start at Leeds.
However, after scoring his first two goals for the club, Okafor did not score for another three months and missed an entire month of action due to an injury.
Okafor’s goalscoring ability has been talked up by Daniel Farke, who noted that the versatile forward is a ‘remarkable’ player.
The 25-year-old forward has contributed to five goals directly in his last four Premier League games, while Leeds sit seven points ahead of the relegation zone with three games to go.
| Manager | Time at Club |
|---|---|
| Daniel Farke | July 2023 – present |
| Sam Allardyce | May 2023 – June 2023 |
| Javi Gracia | February 2023 – May 2023 |
| Jesse Marsch | February 2022 – February 2023 |
| Marcelo Bielsa | June 2018 – February 2022 |
Former Whites manager Grayson suspects that clubs higher in the food chain could come in for him in the coming transfer windows, given his qualities.
He is not sure how far the Swiss international can go, but he is sure about Okafor’s eye to find the back of the net.
“Look, with somebody like Okafor – he has got loads of ability”, Grayson said on LUTV (32:34) about the Whites’ summer signing.
“Not quite sure where his ceiling is, knowing where he can reach.
“Is he going to carry on with Leeds United and take us to the next level? Will bigger suitors come for him in the summer, the following summer, or whatever?
“Nobody knows the level he can play to, but what he can do is, he can score a goal or two and that’s lovely.”
Okafor has been playing as an attacker alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin since Farke changed his system, which has seen him score eight Premier League goals this season.
However, Jon Newsome believes that the 25-year-old forward is not 100 per cent comfortable playing in his current role.
Okafor could further raise his stock if he gets into the Switzerland squad and has a good World Cup in North America.
