"With all due respect" - Exclusive: Don Goodman drops Leeds United transfer claim amid Bamford, Gelhardt uncertainty | OneFootball

The Whites are on the lookout for a new number nine this summer.

Don Goodman has urged Leeds United to go out and make an impact signing up front, even if it means they have to let go of one or two of their unwanted forwards.

The need to bolster the quality of an already talented squad is a well-known task that Leeds will face this season. The step up from the Championship to the Premier League, at the moment, is a leap like no other between two divisions in English football.

The last two sets of promoted sides have all mightily struggled to compete with the established Premier League elite; bucking that trend will require some serious, and smart, investment into Daniel Farke's squad.

According to TEAMtalk, six new signings are being eyed by Leeds this summer, with the recruitment of a striker being their number one priority, with Evan Ferguson being named as a potential option.

They have also recently been linked with Ipswich Town's George Hirst, as per Pete O'Rourke, but the Tractor Boys are keen to keep him for next season, in what will surely be their first campaign back in the second tier.

Leeds urged to make moves in the striker market this summer

The addition of a new centre-forward would, however, mean that one of the current crop of forwards may need to leave, putting out-of-favour options like Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt on the chopping block.

Goodman believes that, despite the amount of talismen on the club's books, Leeds will have to invest in a top striker if they are to stand a chance of staying up next season.

"Leeds are probably going to need a new number nine at the top of their list, along with a new goalkeeper, in all likelihood and with all due respect to the players at the club in those positions," the Sky Sports pundit exclusively told Football League World.

"It's imperative that they get their transfer policy right. We've seen how the last six promoted teams have struggled to compete in the Premier League; there is that gulf. But then you look at the three that went up before them - Bournemouth, Fulham and Nottingham Forest - and they're all challenging for Europe this season, so there is some hope.

"The common denominator with them three teams is that they got their recruitment absolutely spot on and, as I said, Leeds are going to have to do the same thing, and that will probably include a number nine to go straight into the team."

Gelhardt, who has been on loan at Hull City since January, has played much more since temporarily leaving Elland Road, and has admitted to Hull Live how much more he has enjoyed his football since making the switch. The Tigers do not have any buy-clauses included in the loan deal.

Leeds have to address their issues at both ends of the pitch

What will ultimately decide how successful Leeds are next season, in fact in any season, is how well they perform in both boxes; how good they are at keeping the ball out of their net and putting it into the opposition's.

That will certainly be easier said than done against the sides that they are going to face in the 2025/26 campaign, but they will have very little chance with the options that they currently have in net and up top. Failure to address these issues before the start of the season could be catastrophic for the club.

The striker market in particular is a hard one to navigate, especially for clubs like Leeds who have been on the edge of breaking the Profit & Sustainability rules in recent times. But it won't matter how far in the green they are if they're heading back to the second tier this time next year.