Willy Gnonto superb as teammate scores 2/10 – Leeds United player ratings so far this season
Leeds United have had quite a rollercoaster of a season so far, the Whites find themselves fifth in the Championship table with four wins out of nine to their name.
Their form before the most recent international break seemed to pick up a bit with the West Yorkshire outfit getting eight points from a possible 12.
With plenty of the season to still go, however, there’s plenty of time for the Whites to show what they’re made of and perhaps find their way into the automatic promotion spots.
Here is how MOT Leeds News have rated each Leeds player’s season so far.
Illan Meslier – 7
Aside from his horrendous blunder in Leeds’ most recent game against Sunderland, Meslier has been a safe pair of hands between the sticks and will likely continue winning the team more points than he’ll lose.
Karl Darlow – 2
Karl Darlow was brought into Leeds’ ranks in the 2023/24 summer transfer window and has been a clear number two to Meslier since arriving, was given an opportunity against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup but bottled it and conceded three.
Alex Cairns – N/A
Alex Cairns was brought in during the summer transfer window but hasn’t featured since arriving.
Jayden Bogle – 7
Jayden Bogle was also brought in this summer as a replacement for Archie Gray. Has had a major impact on Farke’s squad and has even chipped in with a Championship goal.
Sam Byram – 5
Sam Byram has surprisingly featured eight times for Leeds United this season, however, he’s only totalled 106 minutes of game time. He’s a clear backup to Bogle and has only been called upon towards the latter end of games thus far.
Pascal Struijk – 7
Pascal Struijk has been a force to be reckoned with since his return to Farke’s starting XI after his 6-month-long injury. The Dutchman has bagged a Championship goal and has also formed a formidable partnership with Joe Rodon.
Joe Rodon – 7
Alongside Struijk, the pair have made themselves one of the strongest centre-back pairings in the league and have saved Leeds’ bacon on more than one occasion this term. He was brought in for £10million in the summer and is the best summer transfer the club made.
Max Wober – 3
Max Wober has been on the injury table more than he’s been available this season, but, before his knee injury kept him sidelined for 6-weeks, he was afforded the chance to play in the Carabao Cup and found himself hooked after 63 minutes.
Junior Firpo – 8
Junior Firpo has been one of Leeds’ best players this term. He’s cemented his spot in Farke’s starting XI and has contributed to three goals across the campaign. Without Firpo, the Whites wouldn’t be as strong as they have been over the last few weeks.
Isaac Schmidt – 3
Isaac Schmidt’s case is a bit of a strange one, due to Firpo’s stellar form, there hasn’t been a place for him in Farke’s starting XI with defender having just nine minutes of game time this season. He was brought in for around £4.6 million [Ryan Taylor, 30 August] and at the moment, has seemed a bit of a wasted transfer.
Ethan Ampadu – 8
Much like Struijk and Rodon, Ethan Ampadu has been one of the key reasons behind why Leeds United have been so strong defensively. The midfielder was a rock up until the point he was injured and now he’s out for 10 weeks [Yorkshire Evening Post, 30 September], Leeds will be hoping their performances don’t slip too much.
Ilia Gruev – 6
While the Bulgaria international has been partnered with Ampadu for most of the season, it was evident that he was the weaker of the two. He’s missed countless chances in Leeds’ games and has been hooked before the end of the clash numerous times.
Ao Tanaka – 6
Ao Tanaka is another curious case, the midfielder was brought in for what was described as a “bargain” fee [The Athletic, 5 September] but wasn’t allowed to start by Farke until his hand was forced. The Japan international has played six times for Leeds this term but hasn’t yet made as much of an impact as many expected him to.
Joe Rothwell – 5
Much like Tanaka, Joe Rothwell was brought in as a backup for both Gruev and Ampadu but since the pair are now injured, the roles fall on the heads of Rothwell and Tanaka. The former Blackburn Rovers man has played just one full game for Leeds and hasn’t yet done much with his time in West Yorkshire.
Willy Gnonto – 9
Willy Gnonto has been by far and away Leeds’ best player this term. The Italy international has contributed to six goals across all competitions and has seemed to have a spring in his step since his contract extension. The 20-year-old has more than fulfilled the void left by Crysencio Summerville and is Farke’s key asset.
Largie Ramazani – 8
Largie Ramazani is definitely a close second when it comes to ranking Leeds’ summer business. The former Manchester United man has helped add more pace to the Whites’ ranks and has even chipped in with three goal contributions, despite only starting four games.
Brenden Aaronson – 7
Brenden Aaronson is another surprise that has been sent Leeds’ way. The US international returned from his Union Berlin loan spell and has made the number 10 role his own. He’s also found himself on something of a redemption arc, scoring twice already this season and is becoming well-liked by the Whites’ fanbase.
Joel Piroe – 7
Joel Piroe has found himself as Leeds’ super-sub. While the Dutchman may not like it, it feels as if he’s performed far better off the bench than when he starts and has managed to contribute to the odd goal here and there.
Manor Solomon – 6
Manor Solomon was arguably Farke’s most unexpected transfer of the window. It was evident Leeds needed reinforcement up top but nobody expected Solomon to take the step down from Tottenham. He started off his time at Elland Road well but has since found himself injured and unable to make an impact.
Daniel James – 5
Daniel James has been mostly unavailable this season due to a hamstring injury but in the first three games of the season, he featured quite heavily. He did bag himself a goal but as he’s been injured for so long, he hasn’t been able to make much of an impact since then.
Patrick Bamford – 4
Much like James, Patrick Bamford has found himself sidelined for a lot of the 2024/25 season. He’s recently returned from injury but, in the games he’s played, he’s had little impact and looked a shadow of his former self.
Joe Gelhardt – 3
Joe Gelhardt has played three times for Leeds this season, amassing a total of 72 minutes played across all competitions, like Bamford, he’s seemed a shadow of his former self and is likely on the way out in January.
Mateo Joseph – 6
Mateo Joseph has been Farke’s favoured option for the number nine role this term. The 20-year-old has played in all nine of the West Yorkshire outfit’s Championship games but has only scored once. His form needs to pick up soon otherwise he could find himself losing his spot in the starting XI.
In other Leeds United news, US media has reacted to the performance of Brenden Aaronson against Panama.
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