Leeds United: £5m 49ers swoop has given Daniel Farke unrivalled Championship pair – View

Leeds United completed the signing of Jayden Bogle from Sheffield United over the weekend, which gives them an extremely attacking pair of full-backs alongside Junior Firpo.

Leeds’ full back dynamic with Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle

Bogle is experienced for someone so young but also has a better career injury record than Sam Byram, and makes a lot of sense for the Whites as an option at full-back, even though he and Junior Firpo would be a very attack-minded starting duo overlapping down the flanks.

He is a specialist where Archie Gray wasn’t last season, meaning Leeds have technically ‘upgraded’ in the right-back position with a player who knows his way around the attacking right-back or wing-back role in the second tier.

The configuration of Leeds’ full-back pair last season was slightly different to how they are looking likely to set up this season, though. Farke tended to operate with one as a high-and-wide player, capable of dominating a whole flank as something closer to a wing-back, whilst also having a more defensive and conservative player on the opposing flank, who will tuck in and invert into central areas.

Djed Spence was perhaps earmarked as the Max Aarons analogue player in his set-up, with the ability to play high-and-wide, due to his recovery speed when defending and his natural tendency to attack. However, that move didn’t work out, and Leeds eventually settled on the left-back being utilised more often as the threat further forward.

While he has never been a strong one against one defender, or the strongest in general defensive situations, Firpo has the ability to contribute to the Leeds attack down the left-hand side. He will overlap, and, crucially, hold the width. He is able to do this as he plays on his strong foot, and is the only out-and-out left-footed full-back at the club.

That opened up passing angles in build up and also allowed for further crossing opportunities in the final third, where his combination play with Crysencio Summerville was particularly impressive in the latter half of the season. However, Bogle has a tendency to do more of the same down the right, highlighting that Farke and his coaching team have outlined the full-back area as one to improve Leeds’ attacking play.

Bogle’s recovery speed to get back could be more optimal tactically, with pace a particular area of concern within Leeds’ backline. Gray and others have operated fairly well there, but Bogle had the potential to make the position his own and transform the dynamic on Leeds’ right-hand side.

Breaking teams down was an issue for Farke last season, but should be easier to navigate if both Firpo and Bogle are on the pitch at the same time, with creative wide players and a central playmaker coming in as part of their restructuring as well. The right-flank became a dead zone for Leeds’ attacks with just Willy Gnonto or Dan James offering threat in behind, whilst Firpo’s interplay with Summerville found more joy down the left as they both looked to attack aggressively.

The pay-off may be a loss of as much defensive stability without Gray as part of the ‘rest-defence’, leaving the holding midfielder and centre-backs with more work to do when teams hit Leeds in transition on the counter-attack. However, the attack may be more functional and have more options to help break teams down.

Bogle comes with that aforementioned wealth of Championship experience, having played 118 times at second tier level for the likes of Derby County and Sheffield United, and comes in at an affordable price under market valuation, due to his expiring contract.

Leeds have one of the best right-backs in the league at the age of just 23, whilst Firpo showed his quality last season during the second half of the campaign when he was able to get a run in the side. Together, they can provide Leeds with far more balance in an attacking sense, even if, defensively, there may be some question marks and issues that Farke will need to resolve tactically as the season unfolds.