Few sides have lived up to expectations in the Premier League so far this season, with Leeds United among them.
Tottenham spent over £300m and currently sit 20th. Liverpool are yet to truly find their feet under Andoni Iraola and whatever happens on the pitch for Enzo Maresca and Manchester City may not matter at all, truth be told.
And then there’s Leeds, who have continued to meet the high expectations placed on their shoulders ever since surviving in style last season before spending impressively in the summer.
There has been this collective anticipation from those both inside and out of Elland Road that the current campaign could be a special one for Daniel Farke.
An anticipation that second-season syndrome would be nothing but a myth and an idea that a European tour could even be booked as the shock of the season.
Leeds’ summer business could fire them into Europe
If there were any complaints about Leeds’ ambitions, then they should have been put to bed as soon as the likes of James Trafford arrived in the summer. Arrivals like the Manchester City goalkeeper were a sign of intent from the off and the results have since taken place to back that up.
A 4-1 thrashing of Newcastle United has been the standout result, but it’s also worth applauding the fact that the Whites are yet to lose in the Premier League so far this season.
It’s early days, but the signs are certainly forming. There was a time in which the idea of European qualification was a laughable fantasy. Now, Leeds sit fifth – albeit after just five games.
Farke should take a lot of credit for that success, but so too should the recruitment team behind him who welcomed several impressive names over the summer.
Harry Wilson swapped Fulham for Elland Road as a free agent, Trafford arrived in a club-record £40m deal, Farke finally got his Nico Elvedi reunion and a late deal for Jean-Matteo Bahoya caused plenty of shocks.
But out of all those to sign on the dotted line, one name stands out as one of the transfers of the summer.
Leeds have got “one of the signings of the summer”
If you’re going to spend big outside the top six in the Premier League, then that spending must prove worthwhile.
PSR rules lurk for just about anyone threatening to get things wrong with some mistakes more blatant than others. So the pressure was on Leeds over the summer, especially as their second season back loomed.
Pressure has seemingly made diamonds at Elland Road, however, and helped form what has been one of the best backlines in the Premier League so far this season.
It helped welcome Trafford, who has solved Farke’s goalkeeper problem, but more importantly, it helped welcome Tarik Muharemovic, who has been an undeniable revelation.
Arriving for as much as £34m in the summer, the former Sassuolo star has hit the ground running in a Leeds shirt and earned significant praise from the likes of Graeme Bailey. The journalist claimed that Leeds have unearthed “one of the signings of the summer” earlier this week, and it’s hard to argue with that verdict.
|
Muharemovic in the Premier League per 90 |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
450 |
|
Duel success |
54.7% |
|
Tackles |
1 |
|
Dribbled past |
0.4 |
|
Duels won |
5.8 |
The 23-year-old has been near-perfect in a Leeds shirt and whilst there are some who may believe that the Whites overpaid for his services in the summer, his value is only going up.
The defender arrived in a deal worth £34m in the summer and is already worth £11m more at £45m, as per CIES Football Observatory, in what is an impressive rise.
Leeds, of course, won’t be looking to sell anytime soon, but they’ll be glad to know that they’re getting more than bang for their buck.
If Farke’s side are still among the best sides defensively come the end of the campaign, then Muharemovic may well go down as the signing of the season.
