Southampton outcast would be great signing for Leeds United

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Leeds United suffered a substantial blow to their Premier League aspirations with a 2-0 defeat to Brentford yesterday. It now leaves automatic promotion out of their hands and they must rely on Sheffield United dropping points.

The Whites went into their Easter double-header with a top-two place still in their own fate, but two defeats have now seemingly consigned them to the lottery of the play-offs.

It will naturally leave boss Marcelo Bielsa wondering what might have been, especially if they don’t win promotion at all. The Argentine boss might be left wondering whether his signings have perhaps let him down.

Whichever league Leeds ply their trade in next season, Bielsa will almost certainly look to add some players to his squad. One of the areas he may look to add to is up front, where things haven’t always proved prolific.

A report in The Mirror today suggests that Charlie Austin has been told he can leave Southampton by boss Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Firepower

Austin would represent a quality signing for Leeds whichever division they are playing in next season. Patrick Bamford arrived in the summer and has found the next 10 times in 22 games. The Leeds man knows where the net is but he has been far too inconsistent and could do with some genuine competition.

In his career, Austin has netted 66 Championship goals and 34 in the Premier League. At 29, he still has time left on his side and he would represent a quality piece of business by Leeds.

A small stumbling block could be Austin’s £70k-a-week salary at St Mary’s (Spotrac). With the striker at a bit of a crossroads in his career, however, he might relish the chance to join Leeds and revive his career at a fraction of his current wages.