Next Season Is A Make Or Break For Leeds Striker Eoghan Stokes And Here’s Why
One of the last things Garry Monk did before leaving Leeds United was to offer striker Eoghan Stokes a one-year contract extension at Elland Road.
The 21-year-old former Ireland under-19 international has not made a first team appearance as yet for Leeds and time is now running out for him to make it at this level. Stokes was very highly thought of at Leeds United’s academy and he comes with quite a reputation.
Leeds have a good record in bringing talent through from their under-18 side, but at 21, you would be forgiven for thinking that Stokes should have forced his way into the team by now. Despite a generally disappointing season for the under-23’s, Stokes has been scoring regularly in that side and will get a chance during pre-season to show what he can do in front of the new boss.
The likes of Lewis Cook and Ronaldo Vieira are big success stories from the Leeds academy and fans are fully expecting Mallik Wilks and Eoghan Stokes to be next on the conveyor belt. In the cut throat world of professional football they will need to make their point as soon as possible.
Had Stokes showed signs that he was becoming top class, the club would no doubt have tied him down on a long term deal. So the one year extension can hardly be seen as a massive vote of confidence. Stokes has just 12 months to show the club what he can do, though in reality, so much of his chances lie in the two months between now and the Championship starting again in August.
Stokes absolutely has to take any chance that comes along his way in the upcoming pre-season games if he is to have any sort of future at Leeds. And in the dog-eat-dog world of football, Stokes may well be hoping that star striker Chris Wood is sold in the summer.
Wood is potentially looking for a move to the Premier League and he would leave a huge hole in the Leeds squad, but that is something that may need to happen if Stokes convinces the club he has what it takes. If there is no significant breakthrough for Stokes by January then I would say a move would be on the cards, with Leeds looking to get some sort of fee for the player.