Christantus Uche
Leeds United are considering a £13m bid for Crystal Palace’s struggling attacker Christantus Uche, according to reports, though a FIFA regulation is likely to delay any move until summer.
The 22-year-old Nigerian joined Palace on deadline day from Getafe on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy if he makes 10 Premier League starts. However, he has managed just eight Premier League minutes since arriving.
Palace manager Oliver Glasner’s frustration with Uche has become increasingly apparent. When asked if the player is performing at expected levels in training, Glasner took a long pause before deflecting.
“I told him, ‘You arrived on deadline day without pre-season to a team that was at that time 19 games unbeaten, so you can’t expect to be a starter immediately’,” Glasner said.
“’You have to show you deserve it and that you are better than the other player, then you can play’.”
Uche has featured for just 67 minutes across all competitions, with the majority coming in a Carabao Cup penalty shootout win over Millwall.
Glasner later added bluntly, “If I believe (a player) can help the team win a game… If I believe they can’t, it’s nothing personal, (but) I don’t play them.”
Reports suggest Palace are considering cancelling his loan, with Africa Foot claiming Leeds remain interested and could offer an escape route.
However, FIFA rules prevent players from representing more than two clubs in a single season. Having already played for Getafe at the start of this campaign and Palace since, Uche cannot feature for Leeds or any other team until the summer.
Leeds were heavily linked with Uche last summer before Palace secured his signature. The Whites are expected to prioritise attacking signings in January as they battle for promotion.
Leeds managing director Robbie Evans confirmed after the summer window, “This summer, we spent everything we could. Unequivocally, we are maxing PSR out this season.”
If Leeds pursue Uche in January, they could sign him and loan him back to Getafe, or wait until the summer window. Several German clubs have also made initial enquiries about his situation.
Getafe earmarked €20m from Uche’s potential sale to satisfy La Liga financial regulations, which allowed them to register six new players last summer.
