Leeds United had just been relegated from the Premier League in the summer of 2023 and they were on the lookout for a manager to get them back to the big time.
They ended up going for out-of-contract head coach Daniel Farke, who had been with Borussia Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga, and it appeared to be a terrific appointment on paper.
The German tactician came in with a fantastic record at Championship level during his time with Norwich City, winning the title in two of his three second tier seasons at Carrow Road.
He also arrived with a strong reputation for giving young players a chance and helping them to develop as players with his coaching and style of play.
During his spell with the Canaries, Farke helped to develop the likes of Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, James Maddison, Emi Buendia – who was wanted by Leeds in the summer – and Jamal Lewis, who were sold for around £95.5m combined – per Transfermarkt – with Aarons and Lewis coming through the academy system.
In his relatively short time with Leeds so far, the German boss has already showcased his ability to help young players thrive and improve on the pitch, with Archie Gray perhaps the best example from last season.
Daniel Farke's Archie Gray masterclass
The English youngster had not made a single first-team appearance prior to the 2023/24 campaign and Farke brought him into the senior group for pre-season.
Gray had played all of his matches for the club at U21 level as a central or attacking midfield player, but the Leeds head coach saw his potential as a right-back in his 4-2-3-1 system.
The teenage starlet went on to play a whopping 52 times for the first-team last season and 30 of those outings came at right-back, which allowed the England U21 international to hone his skills in several positions.
As you can see in the table below, Gray featured in 44 of the club’s 46 regular season matches in the Championship and held his own out of possession, winning the majority of his battles.
The 18-year-old’s impressive form at such a young age for a team challenging for promotion to the Premier League, naturally, attracted interest from elsewhere, after Leeds lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley.
Appearances
44
Pass accuracy
84%
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.8
Dribbled past per game
0.7x
Duel success rate
55%
Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur swooped in to sign the versatile star, whose natural position is in the middle of the park, for a reported fee of £30m, with Joe Rodon heading the other way.
Farke, therefore, played a masterclass with the youngster by spotting his talent in training and finding a way to platform him at Championship level at such a young age, albeit by moving him away from his natural role to play at right-back mainly.
The German head coach could unearth his next teenage sensation at Elland Road by going down a different route and swooping to sign another team’s starlet next month.
Leeds United's interest in £5m starlet
The Boot Room reported last month that Leeds United are one of a number of clubs in the running to sign Lennon Miller from Motherwell when the January transfer window opens for business.
It was claimed that a host of teams across Scotland, England, and Italy are keeping tabs on the 18-year-old central midfielder ahead of next month, as they look to bolster their respective squads for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
Whilst Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic are keen to keep him in the Scottish Premiership, Serie A teams Atalanta and Bologna would like to tempt him to make the move across Europe.
Meanwhile, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, West Ham United, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur are said to be among the Premier League sides interested in signing the Scotland U21 international.
Leeds are the only Championship named among his potential suitors and the report claimed that the 49ers have sent scouts to watch the talented Scottish whiz in action in the Premiership this season.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The Boot Room added that Motherwell are looking for a fee of at least £5m for the teenage sensation and the West Yorkshire outfit should attempt to win the race for his signature, as Miller could be Gray 2.0 for Farke.
Why Leeds should sign Lennon Miller
Firstly, a fee of £5m is not a significant fee to pay for a player who has attracted attention from some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League and teams from the Serie A.
This means that the Whites could land a bargain for the Scottish talent as they could bring him in to develop and increase in value during his time at Elland Road.
Farke helped a teenage midfielder, albeit whilst using him at right-back primarily, to turn into a £30m-rated player last season with Gray and could repeat that trick with Miller in Yorkshire.
The Motherwell star’s performances in the Premiership this season also suggest that the potential is there for him to come in and have an instant impact on the pitch for the Whites.
Miller, who was lauded as a “ridiculous” talent by pundit James McFadden, is a central midfielder with the ability to make things happen on a regular basis in the final third.
Appearances
15
19
16
Goals
2
0
0
Big chances created
7
2
0
Key passes per game
2.0
1.5
0.8
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.9
1.1
3.4
Duel success rate
53%
51%
56%
As you can see in the table above, the Motherwell ace has outperformed Farke’s current first-choice central midfield players as an attacking threat, with more goals and ‘big chances’ created in fewer league appearances.
He also holds himself well defensively and has similar numbers to Ao Tanaka out of possession, whilst winning far more tackles and interceptions per game than Joe Rothwell.
Therefore, Farke could unearth his next Archie Gray for Leeds by bringing in another 18-year-old with the quality to play regular football at Elland Road, whilst having the scope to improve and develop into a high-value asset in the future.
Fewer touches than Meslier: Farke must finally drop 15-pass Leeds star
The Leeds United attacker should be taken out of the starting line-up in the Championship.
1 ByDan EmeryDec 8, 2024