Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke deserves his flowers for the work that he has done since being appointed at Elland Road in the summer of 2023.
The German boss took over a team that had just been relegated from the Premier League and was full of players who wanted to find a way out of West Yorkshire.
He then masterminded a Championship title success in his second season before leading the team to a 14th place finish in the Premier League last term, and his side are unbeaten in the top-flight in the current campaign.
There have been so many fantastic signings made along the way to achieve that success, including England international Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
How Leeds hit the jackpot with Dominic Calvert-Lewin
The experienced centre-forward was named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the upcoming international break, a few days after he scored two goals in a 4-1 win over Newcastle United at Elland Road.
His two goals against the Magpies mean that he has now scored 17 goals in the Premier League since the start of last season for the Whites, after joining on a free transfer from Everton.
Leeds hit the jackpot with the English marksman because it was not obvious that he would be a success at Elland Road, given his struggles across his last few seasons on Merseyside.
|
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goal record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Goals |
Big chances missed |
|
26/27 |
4 |
3 |
|
25/26 |
15 |
25 |
|
24/25 |
3 |
16 |
|
23/24 |
8 |
18 |
|
22/23 |
2 |
6 |
|
21/22 |
5 |
3 |
Calvert-Lewin only scored 18 goals in his last four seasons at Everton combined, scoring three times in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that it was a very risky move for Leeds to bring him in last year.
That risk has certainly paid off for Farke’s side, though, because he has already racked up 17 league goals. They are reaping the rewards for having faith in his ability and not being put off by his struggles for the Toffees.
Farke’s best signing at Leeds is not Calvert-Lewin
Calvert-Lewin, though, is not the best signing made by the club during the German’s time in West Yorkshire, as possibly confirmed by the manager himself.
When asked if the striker has been his best signing at Leeds, Farke was noncommittal and instead decided to name Joe Rodon, Ao Tanaka, and Ethan Ampadu as potentially better signings.
Ampadu was one of the first signings made by the ex-Norwich City boss in the summer of 2023 when he was brought in from Premier League giants Chelsea for a fee of £7m.
That £7m fee has turned out to be one of the biggest bargains ever secured by the Whites because he has been an incredibly influential character in Farke’s Leeds story.
Ampadu has played 132 matches in all competitions for Leeds in just over three years, only missing games when injured, and is virtually a guaranteed starter when fit.
The Wales international has started 111 of his 115 league appearances for the club, in the Championship and the Premier League, which speaks to how much the manager relies on his captain.
|
Ethan Ampadu’s Transfermarkt value |
|
|---|---|
|
Date |
Market value |
|
June 2026 – present |
£25.7m |
|
March 2026 |
£21.4m |
|
May 2025 |
£17.1m |
|
May 2024 |
£13.7m |
|
March 2024 |
£12.8m |
|
October 2023 |
£10.3m |
At the time of writing, Ampadu is currently valued at roughly £26m by Transfermarkt, which is significantly more than the £7m that Leeds paid to sign him from Chelsea just over three years ago.
His value has soared throughout his time at Elland Road because he has gone from proving himself in the Championship to proving himself in the Premier League.
In the 2025/26 campaign, Ampadu started all 35 of his appearances in the Premier League and showcased his physical attributes by winning 62% of his ground duels and 64% of his aerial battles.
Opposition players found it incredibly difficult to get past the Welsh defensive midfielder, who averaged 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, and he played a key role in the club’s run to finish 14th in the division.
Calvert-Lewin may grab the headlines when he finds the back of the net, but Ampadu delivers consistent performances that sometimes go under the radar because he does the dirty work in midfield to provide the exciting players with a platform to shine.
The Wales international is the best signing made during the Farke era because of when he signed, in 2023, and how he has progressed alongside the club and remained a crucial part of the team.
