Leeds United currently find themselves in the relegation zone in the Premier League ahead of games against Chelsea and Liverpool at Elland Road this week.
The Whites have lost their last four matches in the top-flight and there is now speculation over the short-term future of their head coach, Daniel Farke.
The Guardian claims that senior figures at Thorp Arch expect the German manager to be sacked by the 49ers if he oversees losses to Chelsea and Liverpool in the next five days or so, after the 3-2 loss to Manchester City on Saturday.
It is hard not to feel a bit sorry for the former Norwich coach, though, because several of his stars from the 100-point Championship promotion campaign have failed to make the step up required to perform in the Premier League.
Leeds players who have failed to make the step up to the Premier League
Joel Piroe is perhaps the most obvious example of a player who has failed to make the step up from the Whites’ exceptional season in the second tier.
The Dutchman was the top scorer in the Championship last term, with 19 goals, yet has found himself as the third-choice striker behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, and has yet to score in seven outings this season, per Sofascore.
Ao Tanaka, meanwhile, was willing to candidly admit that his level is “not good enough” at the moment, as he has lost 58% of his duels in midfield across ten appearances in the top-flight, per Sofascore.
After 12 goals and nine assists in the 2024/25 campaign, Daniel James has failed to produce a single goal or assist for the Whites this term, per Sofascore, which shows that the Welsh winger has also struggled to deal with the step up.
Another one of last season’s stars who has failed to step up to the top-flight is right-back Jayden Bogle, who was exceptional in the Championship last term.
Why Jayden Bogle has been a liability for Leeds this season
The £45k-per-week star was described as a “massive signing” by pundit Micah Richards earlier this year, and it was hard to argue with that assessment after his form in his first year at Elland Road.
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Bogle scored six goals and created 11 ‘big chances’ in the Championship for Leeds, whilst also proving himself to be a solid defender at that level by winning 55% of his ground duels and 52% of his aerial duels, per Sofascore.
However, the step up to the Premier League is a significant one, and Bogle has been unable to make it, which has made him the club’s biggest defensive liability since Rasmus Kristensen in the 2022/23 campaign when they were last relegated from the division.
The Danish flop was a liability for the Whites that season because he offered little to the team from a creative perspective in possession, whilst being far too easy for opposition players to get the better of defensively.
Appearances
26
13
Sofascore rating
6.70
6.36
Key passes per game
0.3
0.3
Assists
1
0
Dribbled past
34x
13x
Ground duel success rate
54%
48%
Aerial duel success rate
56%
44%
Error led to goal
0
1
As you can see in the table above, Bogle has lost an even higher percentage of his duels on the deck and in the air than Kristensen did in the Premier League that season, whilst creating the same number of chances per game on average.
These statistics both illustrate how underwhelming the English full-back has been, as he has failed to transfer his Championship form over to the top-flight, and how he has been even worse than Kristensen was in a relegation campaign for the Whites.
Bogle’s Premier League struggles should not come as a massive surprise, though, because Leeds signed him off the back of playing in 34 of Sheffield United’s 38 top-flight games when they conceded a record 104 goals in 38 games, and he lost 53% of his ground duels in that time, per Sofascore.
Whilst it is still not even the halfway point in the campaign and there is time left for him to turn his season around, Bogle’s current form is on par with what he has shown in the past at this level, which was not good enough defensively then and does not look good enough now because of how easy it has been for opposition players to beat him in duels.
Dan James' dream replacement hasn't played for Leeds since October 2024
Leeds star James has struggled for his best form this season
1 ByJoe Nuttall
Hopefully, the former Derby star can find a way to get back to his best at right-back to bring the exciting and dynamic play that he brought to the team to make him a “massive signing” in the Championship.