Ranking every Leeds signing made by Daniel Farke from worst to best | OneFootball

Daniel Farke is now into his fourth summer as Leeds United manager, and in that time he’s made some superb signings – with one or two stinkers in there for good measure.

We haven’t included this summer’s new recruits Harry Wilson or Tarik Muharemovic, because there’s nothing to judge them on yet, but on paper they look like strong signings.

Here’s our ranking of every signing Farke has made during his time as Leeds United manager.

29. Facundo Buonanotte (loan)

Four appearances, one disastrous start, 82 minutes played in total.

An actual Argentina international. You wouldn’t have known the difference if Farke had stuck in a ringer from five-a-side.

28. Djed Spence (loan)

Given his performances for England at the 2026 World Cup, you could make a cogent argument that Spence is actually the best player on this list.

Well, he certainly didn’t show it at Leeds, where you were left with the distinct impression that the man simply could not be arsed.

Perhaps Spence will look back on his time in Yorkshire like the hungover Saturday morning job you had for a couple of months at uni — a brief chapter that’s best forgotten.

Farke’s ruthless decision to send him back to Spurs might’ve been the kick up the backside he needed to kick on.

27. Isaac Schmidt

Players don’t get much more forgettable. A future pointless answer if there ever was one.

26. Lucas Perri

A rare permanent transfer mis-step in the transfer market from the 49ers, whose recruitment has otherwise been impeccable – as this list attests.

Getting dropped for Karl Darlow was evidence that Leeds got their No.1 pick wrong last summer.

The Brazilian did restore some faith during Leeds’ run to the FA Cup semi-finals, but even then there were moments of uncertainty, most notably as they almost let it slip against West Ham.

‘Are you coming or going, mate?’ always seemed to be the question Leeds’ exasperated defenders were asking of him.

A £13.9million fee is not nothing, but it’s a drop in the ocean when it comes to the costly mistakes of the Orta era. The important thing is that the club have acted decisively to move on and rectify.

25. Largie Ramazani

There’s a lingering feeling that a good player is in there somewhere. Perhaps he’d have flourished under a different manager. But in the context of Farke’s wider success, it’s hardly a decision worth dwelling on.

The time is right for Leeds to cut their losses and Ramazani to kick on with a new, permanent home. He could be a really fun footballer to watch in the right team.

24. Connor Roberts (loan)

A peripheral figure in Farke’s first season and that agonising near-miss of promotion.

Roberts was perfectly serviceable. The moustache was majestic and the World War II fighter pilot aesthetic was impeccable, but beyond his equaliser against Leicester, he left little lasting impression on the pitch.

23. Alex Cairns

How do you judge a player who has never made an appearance under Farke and has only ever made the bench on a couple of occasions?

It was only ever going to be the case for Cairns, who is as much a coach and homegrown quote-filler as he is a genuine back-up.

The 33-year-old seems a popular figure around the place, and only ever comes across as a really top bloke in the club’s social media content. What more do you want from a third-choice ‘keeper?

22. Josuha Guilavogui

Another vibesman, think of Guilavogui as the Bez of Leeds United’s last promotion season.

On the pitch, we didn’t really see evidence of the veteran’s pedigree – a former France international with a full career spent in Europe’s top leagues – but it was nevertheless welcome to see a fella on the sidelines who was never not smiling.

21. Jaidon Anthony (loan)

The winger surprisingly only notched two goals and two assists in his 38 appearances for Leeds, but he was a useful enough squad player and might’ve ended that loan spell with promotion.

Anthony has since shown his quality back at Burnley, earning a move to Brentford, but there was never any real demand for Leeds to make his loan permanent.

20. Sebastiaan Bornauw

Amazingly, no player in Leeds United history has started more games without tasting defeat. Credit to Jonny Cooper for unearthing that one.

Lies, damned lies and statistics. Six of the Belgian’s nine starts ended in draws, and the eye test tells a rather different story.

He has looked a touch erratic whenever called upon, leaving the feeling that Leeds could probably upgrade even as a squad player. Perhaps he’ll depart with that unbeaten record somehow still intact.

19. Sam Byram

Given his injury record, it was easy to assume the full-back was back to make up the numbers. Instead, he racked up 80 appearances and played a very useful supporting role in the promotion season.

Seeing Byram celebrate going up with his boyhood club was immensely satisfying. Few academy graduates deserved that moment more after departing when the club was in such disarray in the early-mid 2010s.

What should’ve been for the likes of Lewis Cook and Charlie Taylor.

18. Sean Longstaff

There were some big moments in Longstaff’s first season, with a handful of crucial goals, but sitting on the bench can’t have been part of the plan when he made the emotional decision to leave his hometown club Newcastle.

He’s struggled for minutes since Leeds found their rhythm in the Premier League, and the midfield pecking order now looks difficult to break into.

By all accounts, he’s an outstanding professional and an asset around the squad. Even so, Leeds probably expected more on-field influence from a player who cost £12million.

17. Glen Kamara

Given that Kamara’s sole season at Elland Road ultimately ended in failure, it’s all too easy to write him off.

But the former Rangers stalwart helped steady the ship after the turbulence of Farke’s first summer.

He wasn’t anybody’s favourite footballer, unglamorously recycling possession, but only the fine margins stopped him being a promotion-winning hero.

Making a small profit in moving him on, and improving the midfield in the process, means that this one can only be seen as good business.

16. Joe Rothwell (loan)

Not since the days of Luciano Becchio has Elland Road witnessed locks as luscious as Joe Rothwell’s.

Seeing that magnificent mane bouncing around midfield as Leeds marched to promotion was a joy in itself.

As a footballer? Perfectly decent. Exactly what Leeds needed at the time. Moving for an upgrade after promotion only reinforced what had already been a tidy piece of business.

15. Manor Solomon (loan)

Solomon wrote his name into Leeds United folklore with the last-gasp goal that sealed 100 points and the Championship title.

The winger was more than adequate in his season on loan from Tottenham, but few will look back with any major regrets at not making the move permanent.

14. Lukas Nmecha

We’re not completely sure how good Nmecha is, but you can’t argue with six goals as a squad player. Especially given he was signed on a free.

A classic Farke signing: experienced, sensible and with something to prove. He’s not come in and torn up the league, but he’s provided exactly what Leeds needed from him — goals, physicality and something a bit different in the final third.

It wasn’t a combination we saw too often, but it was tremendous fun when Farke embraced full Big B*stard FC with Nmecha and Calvert-Lewin as a battering ram front two. It was gloriously uncomplicated and absolutely perfect in the 3-1 win over Chelsea.

13. Karl Darlow

The perennial No.2 looked unconvincing in his early cup appearances, but patiently bided his time before finally replacing Illan Meslier during the promotion run-in.

A call that should have come much sooner, in hindsight. Darlow was borderline faultless when performing a similar rescue job in the Premier League.

Leeds are right to look to a long-term solution between the sticks, but Darlow was the perfect stopgap and an absolute bargain at £400,000.

12. Ilia Gruev

A player who so rarely gets his flowers, this is a nice opportunity to put that right.

He isn’t the flashiest name in Farke’s squad, and you won’t see many Gruev 44 shirts around Elland Road, but he is the definition of dependable.

Some questioned whether Leeds might have outgrown the Bulgarian midfielder after going up, but he’s more than held his own when called upon in the Premier League.

His two assists in February’s 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest were evidence enough of that.

You’d struggle to ask for much more from a £5million signing. He’s also exactly the sort of good character Farke has prioritised throughout his rebuild, something reflected in his work with the club’s charity foundation.

11. James Justin

There were the usual social media grumbles when Leeds elected to sign the defender from Leicester City for a £10million fee.

With a limited budget, investing so much in a back-up option didn’t immediately seem like the wisest use of funds. Especially given his recent record of injuries.

Nobody’s quibbling now. Justin barely featured before Christmas, but his versatility made him indispensable during the second half of the campaign. Whichever position he filled, his performance level remained consistently high.

10. Noah Okafor

Another signing that felt like a bit of a punt at the time, Okafor took his time to get up and running.

Injury niggles stopped him from gaining any early momentum, but there’s been no stopping him since he got a proper run of games together in the spring.

Okafor has averaged a goal or assist every 70 minutes in the Premier League since the turn of the year.

If that’s a sign of what’s to come rather than a purple patch, Leeds have landed themselves an exceptional asset.

9. Gabriel Gudmundsson

Gudmundsson’s paltry record of just four goals and three assists in 137 appearances for Lille suggested Leeds were getting a steady Eddie left-back, one who is defensively sound but will offer little going forward.

The numbers certainly bear that out, with Gudmundsson notching a grand total of zero goals and zero assists in his debut Premier League campaign.

But that feels like a glitch in the matrix. He is solid, but he also offers plenty going forward. The football gods owe him a correction next season – get him in your FPL team; fortune favours the brave.

8. Jaka Bijol

The Slovenian man-mountain looked a bit shaky in his early appearances, but any issues were swiftly ironed out since Farke’s masterstroke of switching to a back three.

Bijol looks right at home in that system, which saw Leeds become a comfortably top-half side.

7. Joel Piroe

It was always apparent that the Dutch striker’s limitations would make the step up to the Premier League difficult, but that feels like an unfair measure of his time at the club. Especially given they’ve successfully recruited an upgrade.

Leeds bought Piroe as a Championship-proven goalscorer, and he fulfilled his remit by firing them to promotion, finishing the league’s top scorer in a 100-point campaign.

If they can now make a profit on him, it will have been an excellent investment.

6. Ao Tanaka

“Tiger Tanaka can do everything,” Farke told reporters during the Japan international’s starring role in Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign.

“Unbelievable signing. Quality with and without the ball is outstanding. Not played in a top league yet. Delivers like this in a shirt so heavy is outstanding. Character is relaxed and laid back.”

The fact that Tanaka now struggles to get into Leeds’ best XI is a testament to their recruitment elsewhere. Stacked in midfield.

5. Anton Stach

Ticked every box in the recruitment brief. A Germany international with the size, power and engine to thrive in the modern Premier League, he embodied the more physical direction Leeds have taken since promotion.

Then there’s his ability to strike a dead ball. Leeds haven’t had a free-kick specialist this deadly since Ian Harte.

Stach isn’t as spectacular as Raphinha was, but it’s such injections of quality that are vital for newly promoted teams staying up.

4. Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Fourteen Premier League goals in his debut season after moving on a free. That’s as many as Viktor Gyokeres managed for the champions Arsenal – and he cost £55million.

No further questions. Leeds’ medical and fitness departments also deserve an honourable mention. They kept him available throughout the 2025-26 campaign and ensured he looked as sharp as he has in years.

3. Jayden Bogle

Just a very, very good right-back. There isn’t much more to it than that.

Given the season he has just had, Bogle can feel hard done by not having earned England recognition, especially when you consider the likes of Jarrell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah made the World Cup squad.

He’d give Luke Ayling a proper run for his money in a combined Farke-Bielsa XI. That’s some serious praise.

2. Joe Rodon

Signed originally on loan from Tottenham, Rodon was one of the first through the door in Farke’s first summer and has never looked back.

A signing that’s simply worked out seamlessly. Always available, always rock solid. Leeds couldn’t conceivably have asked for a relatively modest £10million fee. You’re regularly seeing lesser centre-backs move for three or four times that.

1. Ethan Ampadu

The first signing of the Farke era set the tone for the club turning a corner. To think it was only a month after relegation and that embarrassing-for-all-concerned Sam Allardyce spell.

The Wales international had suffered three relegations in as many seasons during his time in the Chelsea loanee tumble dryer, but there was evidently a quality player there.

Given a settled environment at last, he was finally able to show what he was always capable of.

A signing that drew a line in the sand after the chaotic Victor Orta era and signalled much better times ahead.

Ampadu has been integral to Leeds’ rise under the 49ers’ ownership, arguably their best and most consistent player throughout. The kind of leader a club can build their future around.