(Credit: Hasan Karim)

Jacob Raw

Mon 9 March 2026 20:10, UK

Jake Bijol was simply excellent in Leeds United’s FA Cup thrashing of Norwich City on Sunday.

Daniel Farke watched his Leeds side from the stands, as a rotated team managed to see out the win at Elland Road to book their place in the Quarter-final of the FA Cup.

The game proved a chance for multiple players who haven’t played as much as they would have liked this season to give Farke something to think about.

Joel Piroe’s goal against Norwich was an example of a player who took his chance, as the fact that Bijol is still trying to cement his place in the Whites’ starting lineup baffles some.

Jaka Bijol now surely seen as Leeds United’s best centre-back

Bijol has been linked with a Leeds exit in the past, gaining attention from Fiorentina, who would be more than happy to snap up the central defender.

Speaking after a 3-1 win over Chelsea on 3 December, Farke was full of praise for the Slovenian. Farke said: “When you play in a back three, there’s not as much responsibility on you, and Bijol for me was perfect in that role tonight.”

• Bijol has started just 12 of Leeds’ 29 league games
• He joined the Whites for an initial payment of £15million this summer

Despite previous praise for his defender, Farke seems to still be unconvinced about giving him regular league starts.

However, what we all saw at Elland Road on the weekend was what many have thought for some time. Bijol is Leeds’ best centre-back, and needs to be playing week in, week out.

As highlighted by Sofascore, Bijol earned a match rating of 7.4 against the Canaries, which even beat club captain Ethan Ampadu’s score of 7.2.

But that’s no shade on the Welshman, it’s just that Bijol is simply the best out-and-out defender that the Whites have – Farke needs to see this.

This might be why Daniel Farke is not in favour of Bijol

It’s hard to think of genuine reasons why Bijol doesn’t consistently start for the Whites. Yes, he has had injury niggles, but he’s clearly recovered from the spell of absence that he had through January.

He played 120 minutes against Birmingham City in the FA Cup last month, and is yet to receive a Premier League start since a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at the start of February.

Perhaps Farke has a slight concern over the 27-year-old’s ability on the ball. For example, Joe Rodon, a regular starter under Farke, has a pass accuracy of 89 per cent, while Bijol’s is 86.3 per cent.

It looks like nothing on paper, but we know how data-focused football is these days, because the eye test is telling everyone that Bijol should start.