Highlights
- Luis Sinisterra’s departure from Leeds United was a frustration but they have a superb replacement lined up.
- Dubbed “incredible”, the summer signing is a new secret weapon for Daniel Farke to deploy.
- The player has terrorised the Championship before with a different club.
Leeds United endured a tumultuous summer of vast change, but amidst all the turmoil, Daniel Farke could actually have pulled off a true masterclass…
Why did Luis Sinisterra leave Leeds United?
One of the big frustrations of the window was overseeing the late exit of Luis Sinisterra, who despite having been reintegrated back into the first-team squad still seemingly was pushing for a move.
Eventually, the Colombian got his wish, and AFC Bournemouth returned to Elland Road just weeks after snagging Tyler Adams to steal another of their key assets. Their relegation to the Championship just continued to plague their summer.
It was cited that earlier in the window there had been complications regarding the release clause of the winger, with his frustrations well-known given a bid was reportedly rejected despite his willingness to move.
So, when the Cherries came at the eleventh hour, Farke had lost his bargaining position.
Despite that, there was a slight positive to emerge from the move, as amongst the misery came Jaidon Anthony as a last-minute addition to sweeten the deal.
His arrival has gone hugely under the radar, and against all the odds it seems like the Whites could have secured a true star to help spearhead their promotion push, replacing the former Feyenoord flyer.
How good is Jaidon Anthony?
With experience already tackling the Championship once before, Farke has worked wonders to tempt the 23-year-old to drop down a level once again in order to help their promotion cause.
He noted, upon signing: “The year before last I got promoted from this division, I played a lot of games in it and I know it’s a really tough league, it’s really physical and very demanding. It’s exciting to come back now and try and push for another promotion.”
That marked an outstanding year for the youngster, as he maintained a 7.16 average rating in the league, featuring 45 times and recording 15 goal contributions. On top of that, he remained a consistent creative threat as well as a tireless worker, also posting 1.3 tackles and 1.6 key passes per game, via Sofascore.
To outline just how sensational he was when it came to forging opportunities for teammates who often let him down, he only managed to conjure seven assists despite creating an unbelievable 18 big chances.
Such form had to draw praise, with his boss Scott Parker leading it: “Jaidon Anthony’s a player that goes under the radar massively, what he does for this team is nothing short of incredible at times.
“In possession, we see his qualities, his calmness, his silkiness when he makes good decisions but the stuff that goes unnoticed is his defensive side, what he brings to this team.”
Whilst Sinisterra boasts immeasurable qualities on the left flank, with pace, dynamism and tricks in abundance, it seems that Anthony has more than enough to make up for his absence.
Especially given the bar has hardly been set impossibly high, given the 24-year-old scored just five league goals all season last term, enduring a year regularly marred by injuries.
Farke would be replacing the somewhat unreliable brilliance of one winger for a proven star set to reignite his form of old in the Championship.
Given how this swoop has truly gone under the radar, the £11m-rated dynamo could prove to be Leeds’ secret weapon this campaign.
