Credit: Tung Manh Phan

Richie Mills

Sun 12 April 2026 12:10, UK

Leeds United star Ao Tanaka has been under intense scrutiny from Daniel Farke for more than 18 months now.

Tanaka swapped Fortuna Düsseldorf for Leeds in August 2024 for just under £3million, a scarcely believable figure to many Whites fans after their Championship title success in 2025.

The 27-year-old hasn’t had as much of a look-in this season in the Premier League, though, with the midfielder often relegated to the fringes.

The Japan international is now said to be open to an Elland Road exit this summer due to a lack of game time, which would signal a dramatic turn of events in the space of 12 months.

Amid talk of Tanaka leaving Leeds, there may have been some hints along the way that Farke has had his doubts about the Japanese star.

Daniel Farke’s long-running Ao Tanaka critiques

When Tanaka joined Leeds, Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev were the club’s first-choice midfielders. But injuries to the pair allowed Tanaka and on-loan Joe Rothwell to get some much-needed minutes.

The more offensively-minded duo added an extra dimension to Leeds’ attack.

And while Farke did repeatedly praise the Japan star, dubbing him Tiger Tanaka, the German was concerned about his efforts as part of a defensive unit.

After a 2-0 win over Sheffield United, Farke said: “They [Tanaka and Rothwell] have to be more disciplined. Had to adapt the system and be more dominant with the ball and careful with our passes because we don’t have the same protection in front of defence.

“We worked a lot with them individually. Improved from game to game. Ampadu and Gruev will be welcomed back because relying on tonight’s two would be too much for 46 games.”

Fast forward to early December last year, Tanaka came off the bench and scored a last-gasp equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Liverpool.

However, Farke was furious with the midfielder – who impressed for the Whites in the FA Cup quarter-finals against West Ham – when he stepped out of Leeds’ defensive block, which allowed Dominik Szoboszlai to race through and make it 3-2.

After the match, the former Norwich City manager said, “I was annoyed we lost the nerve in this moment. I can’t hide it. Ao stepped out and opened the gap. It’s a bit how we are, we’re not perfect and a bit naive and need to adapt to this level.”

Farke did point out that Tanaka deservedly was in the spotlight after his equaliser. But it appears that he does not fully trust the former Kawasaki Frontale man.

The 49-year-old does tend to deploy a safety-first approach, which provides a clue as to why he admires Gruev and Ampadu so much.

Tanaka transfer price tag has to be questioned

This week, reports emerged that Tanaka was considering a Leeds exit ahead of this summer’s World Cup, where he will hope to represent Japan.

A fee of just under £9m was mooted, which was a derisory figure to Leeds fans.

The Yorkshire outfit has struggled to offload some fringe players in recent years, but if they have a sought-after asset, Leeds have tended to do well.

Archie Gray joined Tottenham for £40m, and Georginio Rutter headed to Brighton for the same amount, while Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha exited for close to a combined £100m.

With the business-savvy 49ers Enterprises in charge, the Tanaka price tag seems suspect, especially as he has more than two years left on his current deal and several teams are said to be keeping tabs on him.

Tanaka may yet leave Leeds in search of more minutes.

In a more attack-minded team, he could take his game to a new level. Conversely, this may be his ceiling, but unless Tanaka improves in a defensive capacity, it seems Farke will continue to have his doubts.