The new Dallas is more important than any player at Elland Road after leaving Leeds
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke aims to guide the team to Premier League safety on the other side of the final international break of the season.
The Whites have seven games to play in the top flight and are currently four points behind West Ham United, who are in the last relegation zone.
Marcelo Bielsa led the club to a top-half finish in the 2020/21 Premier League season after winning the second-tier title in the previous campaign, with the likes of Raphinha, Patrick Bamford, and Kalvin Phillips leading the charge.
One of the most underappreciated stars of that team, especially because of the high level of a star like Raphinha, was the versatile midfielder Stuart Dallas.
The Northern Irishman has scored eight goals in 38 Premier League appearances, playing at right back, left, midfield, attacking midfield and right centre.
Leeds have unveiled their next Stuart Dallas
Farke has secured his own version of Dallas in defender James Justin, who was signed from Leicester City for £10m in the last summer transfer window.
The former England international has been the German coach’s Swiss knife throughout the Premier League season, playing different roles and routines.
Justin has started 14 of his 22 appearances this term, starting the campaign as a backup, and has produced one goal and one assist in that time.
The 28-year-old defender has played at right-back, centre-back, left-back, left-midfield and right-centre for Leeds this season, meaning he has played as many positions (five) as Dallas did in Bielsa’s 2020/21 campaign.
|
James Justin this season |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
|
RB |
10 |
|
CB |
6 |
|
RM |
4 |
|
LM |
3 |
|
LB |
2 |
Justin has been a standout player in the club due to the quality and versatility he has brought to the pitch in the Premier League, as he looks like a new version of the Dallas club.
However, Farke once had another Leeds star who looked like another version of the Northern Irish talent, and since then he has become more important than any other player at Elland Road.
The former Elland Road star is the most important of all Leeds players
Per Transfermarkt, Anton Stach and Ethan Ampadu are the two most important players in the current Leeds squad with a market value of around £22m, while Justin is worth £10m.
In the summer of 2024, the Whites sold versatile star Archie Gray to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, shortly after failing to gain promotion to the top flight in the play-offs, losing to Southampton at Wembley in the final.
He was one of many players who chose to leave Elland Road after that disappointment, alongside Georginio Rutter, Glen Kamara, and Crysencio Summerville.
In his one full season of first-team football at Elland Road, in the 2023/24 campaign, Gray played as a right-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder, and attacking midfielder.
Since signing for Spurs, Gray has played as a right-back, centre-back, left-back, defensive midfielder, central midfielder, and as a right-wing midfielder, showing his versatility in both the Championship and the Premier League.
|
The work of Archie Gray |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
|
RB |
41 |
|
CM |
39 |
|
DM |
24 |
|
CB |
20 |
|
AM |
9 |
|
LB |
7 |
|
RM |
3 |
|
CF |
2 |
|
LM |
1 |
The 20-year-old talent had the flexibility and quality to become Dallas’ new club at Elland Road, but only played in the first team for one season before moving to North London in 2024.
Gray has made 78 first-team appearances for Tottenham so far, 26 more than he did for Leeds, and has produced two goals and two assists in 21 Premier League outings this season.
At the time of his move to Spurs, Transfermarkt valued the England U21 international at around £16m. Almost two years later, the versatile star is valued at around £30m by Transfermarkt, a huge increase of £14m in two seasons.
That also makes him the most valuable single player in the current squad at Elland Road at at least £8m, ahead of the likes of Stach and Ampadu, who has spoken about his progress since moving to Tottenham.
It’s a shame Leeds failed to beat Southampton in the play-off final back in 2024 because they could have had their next version of Dallas in the Premier League with Gray, rather than waiting to bring in Justin.
Farke looks like he got a mix of Bamford & Ayling in Leeds
Daniel Farke looks like he’s got a mix of Luke Ayling and Joe Rodon for Leeds United.
