The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Wednesday 18th February) Leeds proving you don't need to spend big
Good Morning. It's Wednesday 18th February, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road
Leeds proving you don't need to spend big
Beren Cross’ piece in the New York Times this morning really captures one of Leeds United’s biggest success stories of the season: the unexpected rise of James Justin. When Leeds wrapped up their summer business by bringing the 27-year-old in from Leicester City for an initial £8 million, there was little fanfare. Justin arrived as depth, a sensible, experienced option expected to sit behind Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson in the pecking order. Few would have predicted that, less than six months later, he would be wearing the captain’s armband at St Andrews, and viewed by most as close to undroppable!
His turning point came on November 29 at Manchester City, when he was handed his first start after Gudmundsson was rested ahead of a midweek clash with Chelsea. It was a baptism of fire, but instead of being exposed, Justin looked comfortable, composed, and tactically switched on. From there, opportunities kept coming. Injuries to Bogle, Gudmundsson and Jaka Bijol opened gaps across the back line, and Justin stepped into them seamlessly. According to Whoscored, he has already played six different positions this season, including on both sides of defensive midfield and the right side of midfield, versatility that is probably the reason why the Whites didn't strengthen much last month.
Cross highlights how Justin’s run of eight consecutive league starts was capped by captaining the side against Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round. With Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk sidelined, Daniel Farke trusted Justin to lead on the pitch, a telling sign of the defender’s growing authority in the dressing room. For a player initially signed as cover, it was a massive endorsement. In many ways, Justin’s emergence reflects exactly why Leeds targeted him. A one-time England international with 99 Premier League appearances, he brought calm, adaptability and experience to a squad deliberately built with players aged between 25 and 28, much in the same way Sean Longstaff is viewed.
Farke has always valued defenders who can operate on both flanks, the same logic behind moves for Sam Byram and the proposed move for Max Aarons; and Justin has arguably embodied that philosophy better than anyone. He may have arrived as a back-up, but James Justin has more than justified his starting berth in the team, proving you don't need to spend big to make a huge impact on the top flight. We must remember that Calvert-Lewin (currently fourth in the top goal scorers category with ten)
and Nmecha have been massive success stories too, and were both bought to Elland Road on free transfers. Nmecha, now on seven goals has a 30% goal conversion rate; only Bournemouth's £80m rated forward Eli Junior Kroupi has a better conversion strike rate.
Writing on the wall for Piroe
The rise of Dominic Calvert‑Lewin and Lukas Nmecha this season has thrown Joel Piroe into the shadows at Elland Road this season. From Championship top scorer, to little more than an afterthought, the 26yo will see his omission from the starting XI at St Andrews in the FA Cup as a massive kick in the teeth, especially after publicly stating he wanted to stay at Leeds and fight for his place. Speaking on the Square Ball podcast, YEP reporter Graham Smyth summed up Piroe's contribution when finally taking the field on 78 minutes. “It’s just not happening for Joel Piroe.” Smyth went on to argue that any talk of “rustiness” was a red herring, pointing out that even the crowd felt JP squandered a great opportunity to set up DCL, to put the game to bed.
“It’s just not happening for Joel Piroe.” Smyth said on the Square Ball podcast. “You can talk about rustiness all you like but the entire stadium at St. Andrew’s sensed that the ball needed to go to Calvert-Lewin earlier than it did, and he just hung on that fraction too long. “He dwelt on it a little bit longer, which is a shame because we have seen him thread passes and cut defences open. “It’s just not happening for him.”
To go from cult hero (Championship’s top scorer) to little more than an afterthought must be frustrating, especially when he's clearly not been given the opportunities to shine. Piroe’s contract runs out in twelve months, and the striker’s agent has already reported “massive interest” from clubs in the Championship and the Scottish Premiership. The writing is on the wall, but given his goalscoring reputation, Leeds will have no problem recouping the £12m they paid for him nearly three years ago.