Leeds United are no different to any other English club, in that their fans absolutely love to see an academy graduate thrive in the first team.
So, for Daniel Farke, he must surely stick by the notion that ‘you do not fix what isn’t broken’ with regard to one of his current starters.
Deadline Day marked a busy one for the Whites, who scrambled to add some much-needed depth to their squad before the window slammed shut.
Succeeding in doing so, they welcomed three new faces to bring their summer acquisitions up to nine, as a fine number to offset the 15 departures they had overseen.
One of their starring acquisitions at the eleventh hour came for just £5.5m, as they tempted Glen Kamara to trade Ibrox for Elland Road in order to aid their promotion charge.
How good is Glen Kamara?
The Finland international had starred for Rangers ever since moving in 2019 but admitted that “I feel I just needed a change in my career and Leeds is the perfect place to kick-start my career again” in his first interview with his new club.
After all, he had accomplished most of what was possible in Scotland, having won the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup, as well as featuring in the Champions League. The 27-year-old is now set to bring a wealth of experience to Yorkshire, with the hope that he can recapture the form that saw him lauded during the 2021/22 campaign.
Maintaining a 7.01 average rating in the league, his six goal contributions and 1.3 key passes per game outlined his creative credentials, but paired it with a 91% pass accuracy and one tackle per game too, adding some solidity as well, via Sofascore.
All signs point towards Kamara being instantly thrown into the starting lineup given what he has achieved in the Scottish top flight, but it should not be that easy for him to usurp the exceptional Archie Gray after his start to the season.
How is Archie Gray playing?
Having only made his competitive debut in Leeds’ Championship curtain-raiser with Cardiff City, the 17-year-old impressed many with his mature and combative midfield display in a 2-2 draw.
He has since featured in every single game across all competitions thus far, and earned special praise from club legend Jermaine Beckford on Sky Sports (via Leeds Live): “He played with such maturity, he was so confident on the ball. He didn’t rush, he didn’t panic at all. Everything about his game today was absolutely spot on, and if today is anything to go by, this kid has such a bright future ahead of him.
“He’s in the right place to learn, he’s got a little bit of everything in him. Phenomenal player, he did really well today.”
Leeds United’s youngest-ever Championship debutants | Age at debut (via Transfermarkt) |
|---|---|
Tom Elliott | 16 years 02 months 25 days |
Simon Walton | 16 years 10 months 25 days |
Ryan Edmondson | 16 years 11 months 16 days |
Aaron Lennon | 17 years, 4 months, 13 days |
Archie Gray | 17 years, 4 months, 25 days |
Although his 6.6 average rating perhaps does not emphasise the scale of Gray’s influence, who is the son, great nephew and grandson of three former Whites stars, his 84% pass accuracy and 1.4 tackles does showcase that quality in possession and toughness in the tackle that has earned praise, via Sofascore.
The partnership he has struck up with Ethan Ampadu marks one of the few shining lights to emerge from a term where they have just one league win thus far, as the Wales international acts as more of a dictator to allow his teenage teammate to spread the play.
As such, the 22-year-old maintains an 86% pass accuracy alongside 1.2 key passes, 2.4 tackles and 2.2 clearances per game in the league, via Sofascore.
Another pundit, Michael Dawson, outlined the kind of creativity that this foundation allows Gray to showcase: “The ball from Archie Gray is absolutely sensational. He picks the ball up just on the right-hand side in his own half and hits a long diagonal pass to Sinisterra, who runs at Harry Clarke and he lets him get in the box, chop inside and whip the ball into the far post.”
Although Kamara may be the outstanding option on paper, Gray has certainly merited a sustained period of first-team football to continue solidifying a fine partnership with the former Chelsea general.
