Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke arrived at Elland Road this summer with a reputation for working with and developing young players.
The German head coach helped the likes of James Maddison, Ben Godfrey, Max Aarons, and Emiliano Buendia to thrive during his spell with Norwich, and could look to enjoy similar success with the Whites.
Who are Leeds’ most valuable academy graduates?
A number of players have progressed through the ranks with the Yorkshire-based outfit and are currently valuable assets, either for Leeds or another club.
Farke will now be hoping to uncover the next Kalvin Phillips over the coming months and years with the club and has already shown a willingness to dip into the academy as 17-year-old Archie Gray has started all five of their Championship matches to date.
Most valuable academy graduates | Current market value |
Kalvin Phillips | £27.5m |
Pascal Struijk | £15.4m |
Crysencio Summerville | £12.8m |
Jack Clarke | £10.3m |
Lewis Cook | £8.5m |
Valuations via Transfermarkt.
The teenager, who has assisted five goals in 44 appearances at youth and senior level, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.60 in the league this term, which is the 19th-best score within the squad – out of 20 players.
Another academy prospect who could be a future star for the Whites and is well worth a look at for Farke is U21 central midfielder Charlie Allen, who has caught the eye of late.
Who is Charlie Allen?
Allen is a 19-year-old talent who turns 20 in November but is yet to make his first-team bow for Leeds, although he does have senior experience from his time with Linfield in Northern Ireland.
The Whites snapped him up from his former club in 2020 after he became their youngest-ever player at the age of 15 in 2019 and went on to play four matches before his move to England.
They faced stiff competition for his signature, though, as Liverpool, Manchester City, Rangers, and Chelsea all reportedly showed an interest in signing the talented teen after his breakthrough with the Northern Irish outfit.
Allen played three Premiership games for Linfield and Patrick Van Dort, who was the deputy sports editor for JPIMedia in Northern Ireland, claimed that people described him as a “joy to coach“.
What is Charlie Allen’s style of play?
Van Dort also revealed that the central midfielder was compared to Scotland international Billy Gilmour during his time with Linfield, due to his game intelligence and calmness on the ball that allows his teammates to have trust in his ability in possession.
This suggests that Farke could unearth his next version of the former Chelsea metronome as the German head coach worked with him during the 2021/22 campaign at Norwich.
Gilmour spent the season on loan with the Canaries and enjoyed time with the ex-Borussia Monchengladbach chief before his dismissal in November 2021.
The midfielder revealed that Farke’s style of football suited the way that he wanted to play in terms of getting the ball down and trying to pass through teams.
How well did Gilmour perform for Norwich?
In spite of Norwich’s relegation to the Championship, Gilmour did show signs of promise throughout the campaign with an average Sofascore rating of 6.82.
He featured in 24 Premier League matches for the Canaries and showcased his reliability on the ball with a pass accuracy of 91% within his own half that term, along with one key pass per game as he burst forward to create for his teammates.
The Scottish maestro earned himself a £9m transfer to Brighton & Hove Albion from Chelsea off the back of his season in Norfolk and the talented midfielder has continued to display his impressive ability in possession.
Over the last 365 days, Gilmourranks within the top 3% of his positional peers among the Men’s Big Five Leagues and European competitions with a pass completion rate of 90.4% for the Seagulls. He also ranks in the top 15% for progressive passes per 90 (7.22) during that period.
These statistics show that Gilmour is one of the best midfielders in Europe at retaining possession due to his superb ability to find teammates with his passes, whilst his progressive numbers also prove that the Scot does not achieve such a high success rate by playing safe and risk free passes.
How many assists has Allen provided for Leeds?
Farke could now find his next version of the Scotland international in Allen as the Northern Irish youngster has showcased his ability to provide assists on a regular basis to go along with his aforementioned reliability and calmness on the ball.
The 19-year-old has racked up eight assists in 74 matches for Leeds at U18 and U21 level combined but six of those came during the 2022/23 campaign.
He only managed two assists in 24 academy matches for the club throughout his first season at Elland Road in 2020/21 and followed that up with zero assists in 25 games throughout the 2021/22 term, which included two goals in 11 Premier League 2 appearances.
Allen finally hit his creative stride for Leeds last season as he racked up six assists, to go along with two goals, in 21 league clashes for the U21 side.
The Thorp Arch talent, who completed 97% of his attempted passes within his own half over two EFL Trophy matches during the 2021/22 campaign, has displayed his ability to provide his teammates with opportunities to score on a regular basis from a midfield position over the last 12 months.
Last season, no first-team midfielder for Leeds managed more than two Premier League assists and no player in that position has registered a single assist over the first five Championship matches of the current term.
This suggests that Farke is not blessed with creative quality in the middle of the park so Allen could emerge as a much-needed spark in midfield with his ability to frequently provide assists as a number eight.
The German head coach should now look to offer the talented youngster an opportunity to impress at senior level to see if the Northern Irish gem could be his next version of Gilmour.
