Last weekend's results look to have put Leeds United within touching distance of assuring Premier League safety. In beating Watford, Leeds made their opponent's target of staying in the Premier League look almost impossible. Meanwhile, bottom club Norwich won but still look too far from being able to save themselves, but the team they defeated was one of those hoping to chase Leeds down, in Burnley.
As such, whilst there are still games to be played and permutations which could change things and put Leeds in more danger than they currently are, they now have a nine point lead over the bottom three. The current incumbents of the relegation places are now heavy favourites to drop back into the Championship.
Victor Orta can now more confidently plan for another season in the Premier League and a summer where he will have a significant amount of work to do in overhauling a squad which has struggled with the rigours of elite football in their second season back in over 16 years. One of the areas which he might look for value is in the teams which are relegated, as despite them being poor teams, there are still some quality players there which could help Leeds.
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LeedsLive has a run down of three options which Orta could be tempted by.:
Mathias Normann
Leeds will almost certainly want to sign a midfielder in the summer, having not made a permanent signing in this position since Adam Forshaw in January 2017. They could do a lot worse than looking at Mathias Normann.
The Norwegian midfielder has been on loan from Rostov this season and has looked like a classy ball-player in a deep midfield position. He has largely outshone the highly-rated Billy Gilmour and looks like a player who could add something to a better team.
He picked up an excellent assist for Teemu Pukki against Burnley, as he disguised the pass which took our the entire Burnley defence. He also impressed for Norwich when Leeds won 2-1 at Carrow Road earlier this season. Norwich have an option to buy on the 25-year-old but given that this was negotiated when they were in the Premier League, a deal could likely be done and he could be secured for a reasonable fee.
Emmanuel Dennis
Despite a poor season overall from the Hornets, some of their forwards have stood out. Emmanuel Dennis has been the best of these as he has scored nine goals and made five assists. Ismaila Sarr is perhaps the most talented player at Vicarage Road, but Dennis would be a better fit for the way Leeds want to play under Jesse Marsch as he is as comfortable playing as a striker as he is a winger and Leeds don't use traditional wingers under their new manager.
Dennis could therefore be used as one of the strikers or attacking midfielders and could add pace and finishing ability. Watford would likely make a big profit on him if they did sell him this summer, given that they bought him for less than £4million.
Cucho Hernandez
Another forward at Watford that Leeds could take a look at is Cucho Hernandez. As the Whites need another number nine to challenge and cover for Patrick Bamford, the 22-year-old could be worth a look for Orta. He has scored five goals and made two assists in his debut Premier League season, which is impressive in a poor team.
Although Leeds have Joe Gelhardt as an option, Hernandez would offer something different. The Colombian is more of a number nine who holds position high up the pitch, similarly to Bamford. Meanwhile Gelhardt tends to drop deep searching for the ball.
