There will be those pondering just where it all went wrong for Leeds United, with the Yorkshire giants now plying their trade in the Championship once again following a relatively brief return to life in the top tier.
It was not too long ago that the Whites appeared to be flying under the guidance of enigmatic coach, Marcelo Bielsa, with the Argentine maverick having guided the club to promotion at the second attempt in 2019/20 – ending a 16-year wait for Premier League football.
Not content with merely scrapping for survival in the following campaign, the current Uruguay boss then led his eye-catching, attack-minded side to a respectable ninth-place finish, with the club at the time having been harbouring future ambitions of potentially challenging for European qualification.
Such lofty dreams now appear a long way off following the turbulence that has followed over the past two years or so, with Bielsa having subsequently been shown the door in February 2022 following a dismal run of form.
With Jesse Marsch going on to steer the Elland Road outfit to safety on the final day of the season, there were to be further high-profile departures that summer, with Raphinha joining Barcelona on a £55m deal, while academy graduate Kalvin Phillips moved on to Manchester City for a reported fee of £45m.
The loss of those two first-team stars was undoubtedly a “huge blow” – as per pundit Kevin Campbell – with Phillips, in particular, having cemented himself as a crucial figure at the club after rising up through the youth ranks.
How good was Kalvin Phillips at Leeds?
Having been handed his first-team debut back in 2015, the midfield maestro went on to emerge as something of a local hero over the next seven years, racking up 234 appearances in all competitions, while scoring 13 goals and registering 14 assists.
Leeds starting XI for Kalvin Phillips’ debut (4-3 defeat to Wolves, April 2015) | |
|---|---|
GK | Marco Silvestri |
RB | Scott Wootton |
CB | Sol Bamba |
CB | Liam Cooper |
LB | Gaetano Berardi |
CDM | Luke Murphy |
RM | Sam Byram |
CM | Alex Mowatt |
CM | Kalvin Phillips |
LM | Charlie Taylor |
ST | Mirco Antenucci |
A crucial cog in Bielsa’s promotion-winning machine, Phillips was the man holding things together in his deep-lying midfield berth, with ex-England boss Steve McLaren hailing him as a “screener” and a “destroyer”, such was his effective presence in front of the back four.
Not just adept at winning back possession for his side, the Yorkshireman also possessed that gift for being able to dictate the tempo and pick out his teammates with ease, having been lauded for his “fantastic range of passing” by former Whites boss, Neil Redfearn.
Such quality was also on show for his country at the European Championship in 2021, with the 5 foot 10 ace starting all seven games in the Three Lions’ surge to the final, even been dubbed the “best modern midfielder” by coaching legend, Fabio Capello.
To have been able to produce such a talent is a testament to the work done in the academy ranks at Elland Road, with Phillips having joined the likes of Alan Smith and James Milner in rising up from the youth set-up, before becoming first-team heroes.
Have Leeds replaced Kalvin Phillips?
With the 27-year-old now on the books at the Etihad – where he has played a peripheral role to date after starting just two Premier League games since the beginning of last season – the club have somewhat plugged the gap in his absence.
The signing of Tyler Adams last summer seemingly allowed Marsch to find a dream replacement as the American “stepped right into [Phillips’] shoes” – according to pundit Noel Whelan – albeit with the 24-year-old swiftly departing in the recent window after an injury-plagued end to last season.
In his place, £7m man Ethan Ampadu has enjoyed a promising start to life in his new surroundings, although while the Wales international has arguably already replaced Adams, attempting to emulate the legacy of Phillips is another matter entirely.
Current boss Daniel Farke has also handed a prominent role to 17-year-old Archie Gray of late – who has been dubbed “phenomenal” by club legend Jermaine Beckford – yet there may be another who could represent a more well-suited successor to the Man City man.
If Farke is to find a long-term heir to that man Phillips then he should perhaps look no further than academy sensation, Cian Coleman, with the 19-year-old seemingly having all the tools to follow in the footsteps of Bielsa’s former lynchpin.
Who is Cian Coleman?
The teenage midfielder is an “exciting” and “talented” prospect who is catching the eye at youth level – as per analyst Mark Broomy – having already scored once in four Premier League 2 appearances this season from his defensive-minded berth.
The England-born, Republic of Ireland youth international had previously racked up five goals and ten assists in 52 outings for the club’s U18 side, with such form warranting a first professional contract earlier this year.
Despite his relative youth, the emerging gem has been a player to watch out for over the last few years, having even been included in the Guardian’s Next Gen list back in 2021, placing him alongside the 20 best young talents in the Premier League.
As journalist Louis Taylor wrote at the time, Coleman is ‘extremely highly rated’ by those at Elland Road and had even been given the chance to train with the first-team during Bielsa’s time at the helm.
Even more interestingly, however, is the fact that the versatile asset was also noted as potentially being the “new Kalvin Phillips” – as relayed by Taylor – after also previously lining up for the U21’s at the age of just 15.
A chance to impress in the senior ranks has yet to emerge for the promising dynamo, although on current evidence an opportunity under Farke may not be too far away, with pundit Ben Parker having praised the “big impact” that the teen had made last term, despite slotting in at right-back on occasion.
The hope will be that Leeds could have a future midfield pairing of the aforementioned Gray and Coleman, representing the strength of the club’s remarkable academy production line.
