Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke arrived in West Yorkshire in the summer of 2023 with a proven track record of getting teams out of the Championship.
During his time with Norwich City in Norfolk, the German tactician won the second division title two times in three attempts, with one relegation from the Premier League thrown in amongst that.
He failed to make it three times in four attempts in the 2023/24 campaign with the Whites, however, as his team were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the play-off final.
Farke will now be hoping to maintain his record of getting a team promoted from the league within at least two seasons by achieving promotion this term, with his team currently sat in the automatic promotion places in second – just behind Sunderland in the table.
His full-backs were key to his success during his time with the Canaries, as Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis were both named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year for the 2018/19 campaign, with the former also making the Team of the Year for the 2020/21 campaign, with Dimi Giannoulis the left-back for Norwich in that season.
Leeds United's impressive full-backs
Farke’s ability to get the most out of his full-backs has been on display again during his time with the Whites so far, helping Archie Gray to earn a £30m move to Tottenham Hotspur after he spent the majority of last season at right-back.
Sam Byram has been a versatile and impressive operator so far this season, winning 72% of his duels across 11 appearances, whilst Jayden Bogle has made 3.2 tackles and interceptions combined per game across 12 outings in the league this term.
Junior Firpo, in particular, has thrived under the German head coach and established himself as a star for Leeds in the left-back position over the past 12 months or so.
Appearances
26
12
Goals
0
1
Big chances created
13
3
Assists
7
3
Key passes per game
1.1
1.7
As you can see in the table above, the former Barcelona man has provided a big creative threat down the left flank, with 16 ‘big chances’ created in 38 appearances.
Firpo had only managed three assists in 43 appearances in the Premier League with Leeds, before he worked with Farke, and this illustrates how much he has improved – offensively – under the German boss.
However, the ex-Norwich boss could have had an even bigger full-back talent at his disposal if Victor Orta and Jesse Marsch had not fumbled Leif Davis at Elland Road.
Leif Davis' Leeds career
In the summer of 2018, Leeds swooped to sign the teenage starlet from Morecambe’s U18s to bolster their own academy, for an undisclosed fee.
Despite coming from an U18 set-up and having no prior experience in first-team football, Davis made his senior breakthrough under Marcelo Bielsa and ended his first year in West Yorkshire with four Championship appearances under his belt.
He then featured three times in the 2019/20 title-winning campaign and played twice in the Premier League the following season, before being sent out on loan to Bournemouth in the summer of 2021.
Appearances
12
Starts
7
Goals
0
Assists
1
Big chances created
1
As you can see in the table above, Davis struggled for game time during his spell with the Cherries and did not make much of an impact in the final third.
However, at the end of that season, the English defender was still only 22 and had plenty of time left to develop and improve with more game time under his belt, as that was his first experience of even semi-regular first-team football.
Unfortunately, though, sporting director Orta and head coach Marsch decided that Davis did not have a long-term future at Elland Road and opted to cash in on him in the summer of 2022.
Ipswich Town swooped in to secure his services for a reported fee of £1m, plus add-ons, and the Whites will surely now look back on that sale with regret, as they fumbled a star who is now similar to Liverpool sensation Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Leif Davis is now similar to Trent Alexander-Arnold
The youngster enjoyed a terrific first season with the Tractor Boys as his return of three goals and 14 assists in 43 games helped them to win promotion out of League One.
It was then down to the left-back to show that he could step up to the Championship and the English whiz certainly did that, with an incredible 2023/24 campaign to help Ipswich finish second in the league and move up to the Premier League.
Davis, who was once hailed as an “animal” by ex-boss Scott Parker, scored two goals and provided a staggering 18 assists, with 2.9 key passes per game, across 43 outings in the division.
The 24-year-old star has now stepped up to the Premier League and his current form has landed him a comparison to Liverpool and England star Alexander-Arnold.
As per FBref, the Reds full-back is one of the most similar players to Davis, based on their respective statistics, in the top-flight this season, alongside the likes of Lucas Digne and Jurrien Timber.
Appearances
10
10
Goals
1
0
Big chances created
7
6
Key passes per game
2.5
2.2
Assists
2
1
As you can see in the table above, the Ipswich star has, impressively, outperformed Alexander-Arnold as an attacking force from a full-back position, whilst playing on the opposite flank.
This is particularly impressive when you consider that the Liverpool ace is tied for the second-most assists by a defender in Premier League history, with 59.
Therefore, Orta and Marsch fumbled Davis back in the summer of 2022 as they sold the defender before he had the chance to play a run of matches at first-team level to prove himself.
Farke has struck gold on undroppable Leeds ace who they didn't want to sign
The Leeds United head coach had to convince the club to take a chance on him.
1 ByDan EmeryNov 4, 2024
Ipswich provided him with his big break and he has gone from strength to strength since his £1m exit from Elland Road, whilst Farke missed out on the opportunity to unearth his own version of Alexander-Arnold, but at left-back.