Can Jaka Bijol sure up Leeds United's defence? | OneFootball

Leeds United have announced the signing of defender Jaka Bijol in their bid to stay in the Premier League next season.

After topping the 2024/25 Championship with an impressive 100 points and pipping Burnley to the trophy on goal difference courtesy of a goal difference of +65 compared to the Clarets' +53, Leeds know things will be difficult on their return to the top flight.

Those impressive numbers from last season, which saw them score 95 and concede just 30, can often count for little considering the gulf between the Premier League and the Championship.

A strengthened defence will be important for manager Daniel Farke especially considering his dismal record in the Premier League during his time with Norwich City.

Farke oversaw a total of 49 games in charge of the Canaries in the Premier League, winning just six and conceding 101 goals.

But could Bijol be a key component in making sure that doesn't happen again? Playmaker looks at the Slovenian's numbers...

Aerial prowess: The Premier League is of course a very physical one and in Bijol, Farke has a defender who has proven himself in that regard.

Since joining Udinese in the summer 2022, Bijol has been in the top ten for aerials won in each of his three seasons with the 26-year-old ranking fifth for the 2024/25 campaign with 109 aerial duels won in total. And it's not just because he is facing a lot of high balls that need to be defended, Bijol won 67.7% of his total duels.

Clearing the danger: An ability to read the game well and react quickly is going to contribute to a defender making a high number of clearances over the course of a season.

This is another stat in which Bijol has ranked highly in all three of his Serie A campaigns, ranking 2nd in 2022/23, 8th in 2023/24, and 5th in 2024/25 for total clearances. While last season he 'only' ranked fifth, his 182 clearances in total was far more than those previous seasons (165 and 140 clearances respectively).

Getting the ball forward: Obviously, Daniel Farke is in his element when he has his teams on the front foot and attacking.

Bijol is comfortable on the ball and playing on the right of a bag three for Udinese last season looked to take the ball forward whenever he could, with the former CSKA man ranking eight for progressive carries in Serie A last season.

Yellow alert: One stat where Bijol ranks number one is for yellow cards in Serie A (13) – a title he shares with Lazio's Nicolò Rovella. Those 13 yellows also rank Bijol joint third in Europe's big five leagues for yellow cards with the defender often over-eager to make up for any mistake.

Indeed, in his final match for Udinese, Bijol picked up a yellow card in the ninth minute before receiving a second five minutes before half-time as his side fell to a 3-2 home defeat to Fiorentina.

Daniel Farke will certainly need his players on the pitch if they are to stay up next season.