Leeds United looked on course for a triumphant return to the Premier League when convincingly putting Sheffield United to the sword 3-1 at Bramall Lane back in February.
Now, however, everything has seemingly gone pear-shaped again on the end of Daniel Farke and Co, with the once confident table-toppers tumbling out of the Championship top two after a third successive draw in the division against Luton Town.
Much like last season when Leeds failed to win promotion, there are a number of underperformers who have failed to reach the heights expected of them across the last few worrying clashes, with one player in Farke’s camp now replicating Jaidon Anthony’s poor loan stint.
Anthony's poor stint at Leeds
Sometimes in football, certain moves just don’t go to plan, with Anthony’s forgettable season-long loan spell at Elland Road last campaign seen as one of those.
The AFC Bournemouth loanee would only start two Championship games all campaign for Farke’s Whites, with just one meagre goal coming his way off the back of such sparse game-time.
Thankfully for the former fringe Leeds winger, he has since bounced back on loan with new employers Burnley, with the Clarets amazingly now top of the second tier at the expense of his ex-outfit.
The two golden strikes that took Scott Parker’s men to the very summit actually came about from Anthony, with six goals and six assists in total for the Lancashire side in league action across 2024/25 far outweighing his measly Elland Road output.
Leeds will just hope another situation similar to Anthony’s isn’t playing out in West Yorkshire right now, with Farke sparingly using this attacker much like the now rejuvenated 25-year-old.
Farke's next Anthony at Elland Road
The German has shown across recent crunch games in the Championship that he can go against the grain with his team selections, seen in first-choice goalkeeper Illan Meslier being axed.
But, even though Farke has shown some signs of flexibility by dropping the ex-Lorient shot-stopper, he has still left Largie Ramazani mainly rooted to the substitutes bench.
Ramazani hasn’t always found himself on the periphery at the promotion chasers, however, with the ex-UD Almeria attacker racing out of the blocks all guns blazing after his summer move from Spain, with this strike against Norwich City his second goal from five Leeds outings in the league.
He has since notched up two more goals in the unpredictable second tier, alongside also registering a promising two assists, but Farke’s reliance on starting the likes of Manor Solomon and Daniel James week in week out down the wings has seen the Belgian’s own minutes disappointingly deplete.
Games played
26
Games started
7
Average minutes
29
Goals scored
4
Assists
2
Indeed, the £17.5k-per-week attacker has started just seven of his 26 league clashes for Leeds so far this campaign, with a worry that Ramazani will just fade into the background now despite such promising beginnings.
Farke didn’t even bring on the “explosive” winger – as he was previously branded by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – in any capacity during the 1-1 draw away at Luton, stating that the £10m man needs to “step up” his game in order to be considered for more first team opportunities.
The door hasn’t been completely slammed shut, but Ramazani’s time at Leeds hasn’t exactly been a rip-roaring success so far, with a concern that any possible departure down the line could see him shine much like Anthony is now proving for one of the Whites’ fierce promotion rivals.
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