Phil Hay lauds ‘crucial’ Junior Firpo at Leeds United despite ‘poor signing’ verdict
Phil Hay has lauded Junior Firpo’s contribution to Leeds United this season, though he still believes the full-back was a “poor signing” when it comes to value for money.
The 27-year-old’s start to the campaign was plagued by injury, having to wait until November for his first Championship start, but he has become key for Daniel Farke since.
Firpo now has seven assists to his name in 24 league matches, most recently supplying two assists in the 4-3 thriller against Middlesbrough on Monday (21 April).
Speaking via The Square Ball podcast on Thursday (25 April), Hay said: “I’m not being funny about Firpo, right? I still see it as a poor signing in terms of value for money because he was signed for the Premier League when Leeds had finished ninth, so we were trying to build and get stronger.
“He was not at all good in the Premier League, but he’s come up with assist after assist this half of the season.
“When you tell the story of how it’s gone, if Leeds do go up, you’re not going to be able to exclude his contribution because he’s been pretty crucial.”
Junior Firpo earns trust back at Leeds United
Signing the 27-year-old from Barcelona for £13million in the summer of 2021, as per BBC Sport, Leeds fans certainly had every right to expect more from the full-back than what he was producing prior to his turnaround in form.
Luckily for him, he seems to have won the Elland Road faithful back with his performances this season, and rightly so, with some of his assists being key to where the Whites currently are in the Championship table.
His crucial role was exemplified against Boro at the Riverside Stadium, supplying the passes for Patrick Bamford’s goal and Crysencio Summerville’s second of the night, though it was quite a stunner from the winger.
While Sam Byram is capable of playing at left-back, it appears Farke prefers him on the opposite flank. And luckily for the manager, he has had to deal with no more serious injuries from Firpo.
If the Whites are able to claim promotion to the Premier League this season, he must then show that he is capable of applying his services in England’s top division, having been bought for that exact reason.
In other Leeds United news, Goodman suggested it could be time for a youngster to be handed his full league debut against Boro.
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