Leeds United should consider Cameron Archer transfer U-Turn on one condition | OneFootball

Leeds could re-visit a deal for Cameron Archer in the summer, but should only do so on one condition

Things are going swimmingly in the Championship for Leeds United of late - they're clear at the top of the table and looking good to get back to the Premier League after a two season absence.

Looking so strong perhaps played a part as to why they were so quiet in January, with nearest rivals Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland all making at least one notable signing, while Leeds failed to bring anyone noteworthy in.

Daniel Farke's men are perched five points inside the top two, boasting that nice cushion to Burnley in third, but unwilling to rest on their laurels, the Whites did try to recruit in January, making an ultimately unsuccessful play to sign Cameron Archer from Southampton.

Leeds' German boss has been promoted out of this league twice before so he knows what it takes, and Archer would certainly have helped them do that, but there remains a huge question mark over whether Archer would be a good long-term option.

Archer will reportedly remains on Leeds' radar ahead of the summer, but there are some huge factors which could influence whether a deal materialises after the end of the season or not.

Archer has established himself down the years as something of a Championship specialist, and if it was widely known he was available on loan in January, then most of the league would've been hoping to sign him.

The big dilemma Leeds face ahead of the summer is that they have no idea what league they're going to be playing in - they could either remain in the Championship or be promoted back to the Premier League.

Right now, it looks like the Premier League, but Leeds fans will be quick to point out that they're partial to a late season collapse, so they won't be taking their healthy league position for granted.

If it is to be the Premier League that they're playing in, then Archer perhaps shouldn't be on their radar given how he's struggled to adapt to the top-flight across the last two seasons.

He's scored a mere six goals in 60 games at Premier League level, and last season was involved in a Sheffield United team who were relegated, while this campaign he's with a Southampton side who will also no doubt go on to face the drop.

Leeds should re-visit Cameron Archer if they don't go up

The flip side of the Archer argument is that if Leeds are forced to spend another season in the Championship, then they should certain revisit the Archer deal.

Each season you're outside the Premier League, it's commonly accepted that it becomes harder and harder to get back, and for Leeds, they'll need that bit of something extra in what would be their third season.

You'd imagine it would become even more difficult to retain some of their stronger players, particularly in forward areas, so they'd almost certainly be forced into recruiting a striker.

Archer boasts a pretty phenomenal record of 18 goals in 40 games at Championship level, and a strike rate of nearly one in two is relatively unheard of in the second tier.

Although Archer may have been a long-term target for Leeds, they'd be wise only to re-visit it in the event they miss out on promotion, largely because it would be a huge gamble to take a punt on a player who has shown that he's struggled to adapt to the Premier League.