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Ao Tanaka sends message as Premier League rival reveals 'curse' away from Leeds United

Assistant Editor AUTHORITY Senior editor responsible for daily news flow, sub-hub management, and maintaining editorial standards across the site network. FOCUS Editorial oversight, newsroom workflow, and verified reporting. THE BRIEF Former Leeds United correspondent Mark has risen through the ranks at Breaking Media Limited to manage the network’s daily output. He works between the reporters and the experts to ensure the data and the news are applied correctly to every story.

Published on:

12 Oct 2026, 10:10 am

Ao Tanaka has been sensational for Leeds United this season.

That's no surprise to the thousands of fans around Elland Road who demanded he played more.

Daniel Farke started the season with Tanaka as an impact player, but that has quickly changed.

The Japanese international has only been benched once in the Premier League in gameweek two, and hasn't looked back.

With the system slightly changed, Anton Stach has even been pushed further forward to accomodate Tanaka.

But, not all of his international teammates were feeling the same love in the Premier League.

Who's been feeling Premier League curse?

Tanaka was away with his country again during the recent extended international break.

Japan are one of the up-and-coming countries in world football, and the Leeds star is a big part of that.

His teammate in midfield is Crystal Palace's Daichi Kamada.

After a dry period of not scoring in the Premier League, he got on the scoresheet as Palace beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 on Sunday.

Kamada took to his personal Instagram account after that win, admitting it felt like a "curse" to not score for so long.

View this post on Instagram

Tanaka was quick to respond, sending three clapping emojis to celebrate.

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Once again, he was one of the best players on the pitch, this time against the reigning champions at the Emirates.

The best example of that was when Tanaka squared up Bukayo Saka, nipped the ball off him excellently and then won a foul.

Tanaka is a disruptor in the best sense, he is everywhere on the pitch, whether in or out of possession.

To think that he nearly left Leeds after less than two years due to inconsistent game time is unbelievable, and Farke likely wouldn't have been forgiven for that.

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Signed for only £3million from the second-tier of German football, it's amazing to see how he has transformed and continues to do so.

With some big games against the likes of Manchester United, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Spurs and Chelsea to come, he'll be needed.

Those are where Tanaka thrives, so expect big things in the coming weeks.

Bukayo Saka