Low-risk Leeds United investment revealed as crucial piece in club’s emerging promotion jigsaw

Leeds United under Daniel Farke have so far shown glimpses of their ability to adapt to the German’s preferred style of play, but with gaps remaining in his team, square pegs in round holes and an understanding that addressing the imbalanced squad will take more than one singular transfer window, it is very much a work in progress.

The acquisition of Djed Spence, albeit on a season-long loan, indicates there is at the very least alignment between recruitment chiefs Nick Hammond and Gretar Steinsson, and manager Farke.

Leeds’ style under the German has seen the team attempt to replicate patterns of play, something which was much more difficult to identify under Farke’s predecessors Sam Allardyce, Javi Gracia and Jesse Marsch.

One particular aspect of Leeds’ style in 2023/24 is their tendency to deploy Luke Ayling – or whoever may be playing right-back in Farke’s 4-2-3-1 formation – in an aggressive, advanced position whilst United have possession of the ball.

Ayling’s role so far has been to occupy opposition defenders using his positioning, pinning them into a deeper, sitting position, rendering them reluctant to step out and allow the experienced full-back a clean run on goal if he can be found by his more-than-capable teammates.

Leeds have attempted to create overloads in these areas, which in layman’s terms is where white shirts outnumber the opponent in a specific quadrant of the pitch. It has also facilitated Leeds’ right-sided attackers drifting inside where they are able to cause greater damage and link up with their fellow technical attackers with short, sharp interchanges to gain entry to the box.

Or, when Leeds are faced with a man-marking structure, right-winger and right-back have been known to rotate and swap positions to stretch and pull at their opponent’s defensive setup.

Spence’s arrival supplements Farke’s right-sided options, but also, his natural attributes – athleticism, ball-carrying and attacking output – complement the particular function Leeds’ manager asks of his right-backs.

Since the beginning of the season, there have been teething issues, namely Callum O’Dowda galloping into the space behind Ayling during Leeds’ Championship opener, resulting in Cardiff taking the lead at Elland Road. The 32-year-old is defensively savvy but Spence, nine years his junior, certainly boasts superior recovery speed, which in the aforementioned scenario could have made all the difference.

On the other hand, Ayling’s arrival at the back post to head home Leeds’ equaliser against West Bromwich Albion, as well as his link-up with whoever has been deployed ahead of him on the right flank, demonstrates the obvious merits of Farke’s preferred way of playing.

Spence could usurp vice-captain Ayling around the time skipper Liam Cooper returns from injury, given it will probably be a number of weeks before the Spurs loanee hits top speed after just 19 pre-season minutes and a 2022/23 season that was curtailed in April due to injury.

At the very least, the young defender will share the burden of a 46-game season which could prove especially tasking for long-serving Ayling, now into his fourteenth professional campaign.

During the 2021/22 Championship season – the last time Spence played regularly – the then-Nottingham Forest loanee recorded the most progressive carries in the division, transporting the ball from defence to attack. He also ranked third for dribble attempts, therefore is willing to take on opponents one-v-one, and ranked among the top six players across the entire competition for successful dribbles, yards covered with the ball at his feet and carries into the final third.

A reported £1 million loan fee is a small price to pay if Spence’s natural attributes marry up kindly with Farke’s role requirements. It isn’t very difficult to envisage a player of Spence’s quality fulfilling the brief Ayling has so far found himself carrying out this season, and potentially taking it to the next level.