Daniel Farke must be losing patience with Leeds summer signing after display vs Derby
Leeds United progressed to the next round of the FA Cup with an easy 3-1 win over Derby County at Pride Park on Sunday.
It wasn’t completely straightforward for the Whites, despite coming into the tie as favourites, with Joel Piroe seeing his first-half penalty saved before Ben Brereton Diaz put Derby ahead just moments later.
Leeds came roaring back, Willy Gnonto firing in the equaliser early in the second period, before Ao Tanaka and James Justin secured the West Yorkshire side’s route to the fourth round.
However, Farke wouldn’t have been happy with every player on the pitch, as one of his summer signings failed to impress.
Noah Okafor lacks end product against Derby
Noah Okafor joined Leeds from AC Milan over the summer, but has been criticised for some of his performances so far this season.
The 25-year-old winger was poor again in the 3-1 win over Derby, with his display leaving a lot to be desired with the inconsistency.
Okafor looks neat and tidy on the ball, but his final product is lacking too often and is a real weak part of his game.
The Swiss international has only managed two goals in his 20 appearances across all competitions this season, and is yet to pick up an assist.
He took four shots against Derby, with just one going on target, and he only completed one of his four crosses as well.
| Stats vs Derby | Noah Okafor |
| Minutes | 89 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Shots (On Target) | 4 (1) |
| Crosses (Completed) | 4(1) |
| Possession Conceded | 13 |
In total, Okafor gave possession away 13 times at Pride Park, which will not have helped his case to get back in the Leeds starting line-up again.
Farke replaced the attacker with Brenden Aaronson in the 89th minute.
Noah Okafor set for spell on sidelines
Okafor has recently had a run in the team, with the likes of Lukas Nmecha out injured.
However, after another disappointing performance, and with Nmecha back fit, the former AC Milan man is surely set for a spell on the sidelines.
Gnonto managed to grab his chance against Derby, scoring the equaliser and putting in a man-of-the-match performance.
For Okafor, though, the tie did more harm than good for his future at Leeds, and he may be relegated to the bench for the visit of Fulham on 17 January.