Leeds United should be aiming for an automatic return to the top-flight of English football after they were relegated from the Premier League last season.
The Whites spent three seasons at the top table and are now back in the Championship and vying for promotion alongside the likes of Leicester, Ipswich, and Sunderland.
German boss Daniel Farke was snapped up, after his exit from Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach, to lead the charge and he arrived with a proven track record at this level.
Points
94
97
Goals for
93
75
Goals against
57
36
Games won
27
29
Farke's Championship title-winning seasons with Norwich (via Sky Sports):
As shown in the table above, the former Norwich City head coach has won this division in impressive fashion twice before and, therefore, knows what it takes to succeed in the Championship.
He was able to call upon the supremely talented Emiliano Buendia, now of Aston Villa, in both of those seasons and the ex-Borussia Dortmund youth coach could find his next version of the Argentina international by dipping into the market in January to sign Matt O'Riley.
Were Leeds interested in Matt O'Riley?
The Scottish Sun reported over the summer that the Whites had an offer turned down by Celtic for the central midfielder during the last transfer window.
Leeds reportedly offered a fee of around £10m for the Denmark U21 international but were unable to convince the Scottish giants to part ways with their midfield maestro.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers later revealed that he was determined to keep hold of O'Riley after the club had already cashed in on Jota and Carl Starfelt, and the ex-Liverpool manager was not keen on losing another one of his key players.
The Northern Irish head coach did, however, go on to say that he could never rule out a move if the player decided that they would like to move on, although that was not the case with the Danish gem this summer.
This suggests that there is scope for Farke to attempt to convince O'Riley that a switch to Elland Road is the best next step in his career, and Leeds challenging for automatic promotion when the January window opens could help to do that.
O'Riley's exceptional performances as an attacking threat from midfield for Celtic suggest that the potential is there for him to develop into a Buendia-esque player for the Whites boss, albeit in a slightly different role.
How many assists did Buendia produce for Norwich?
The Argentine wizard produced an eye-catching 42 assists in 121 matches in all competitions for the Canaries under Farke's management between 2018 and 2021.
Buendia recorded 29 assists in 77 Championship outings for Norwich and consistently proved himself to be a significant threat to opposition defences with his ability to carve them open at will in possession.
His passing range and invention on the ball allowed him to regularly create huge opportunities in front of goal for his teammates, which resulted in his impressive assist record in East Anglia.
The former Getafe youngster managed 2.4 key passes per clash and assisted 12 goals in 38 Championship games during his first season at Norwich. He followed that up with 3.1 key passes per match and 16 assists in 39 second-tier starts during the 2020/21 campaign.
Buendia, who created 25 'big chances' across those two seasons, also chipped in with 23 league goals at that level for Farke as he showcased his ability to score and assist goals at an excellent rate.
O'Riley, who plays in a central midfield role rather than out wide, has been in staggering form for the Hoops this season and is showing similar qualities as a scorer and a creator of goals.
How many goals has O'Riley scored this season?
The 22-year-old, who was once hailed as a "magician" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has found the back of the net five times in eight Scottish Premiership encounters this term.
He has added goalscoring to his arsenal of attacking qualities after only three goals in 38 league matches for Celtic throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
The former Fulham prospect has taken it upon himself to be the difference-maker for the Hoops by scoring the goals himself, rather than just being the creator. This has added a different dimension to his game and one that makes him a complete midfielder, in an attacking sense.
However, this has not stopped his creative flow as the left-footed talent has produced 3.1 key passes per game and recorded two assists to go along with his five goals. He has also assisted one goal and created six chances in two Champions League clashes for the club so far.
This comes after the central midfield general assisted 12 goals and created 16 'big chances' in his 38 Premiership appearances last season.
Should Leeds sign O'Riley?
Farke should reignite his interest in O'Riley and convince the midfielder, in spite of his new contract with Celtic, to sign for the English side in January to further bolster their promotion chances.
The Denmark U21 international could improve the side with his ability to provide a regular stream of goals and chances created from a midfield position.
His form for the Hoops this term suggests that he has the potential to offer more attacking quality than the head coach's current options across the pitch.
No Leeds player has managed more than 2.5 key passes per game, in comparison to O'Riley's 3.1, and this indicates that the ex-MK Dons star could be Leeds' outstanding creative threat at the top end of the pitch.
He could regularly provide the likes of Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe with the opportunities that they need at the top end of the pitch to find the back of the net week-in-week-out.
O'Riley's goalscoring form this term would also make him a strong addition to the squad as only Piroe (five) has managed more than two Championship strikes this season.
The Celtic star could come in as an outstanding goalscorer and creator from a midfield position and, therefore, become Farke's next version of Buendia, who provided a similar level of attacking efficiency at this level for the manager during their time together at Norwich.
It is now down to Leeds to secure a deal for the 6 foot 2 maestro to bolster their squad if the opportunity arises during the next window.
