Leeds United: Ilia Gruev's days are surely numbered under Daniel Farke, here is why - View | OneFootball

Ao Tanaka will take Ilia Gruev's place in the Leeds United line-up at some stage for Daniel Farke.

Ilia Gruev wasn't initially able to establish himself as a first-team player after joining Leeds United in the summer, but has since become a mainstay. However, Ao Tanaka's arrival could spell the end of his time as a regular starter under Daniel Farke.

For the most part, fellow summer signings Glen Kamara and Ethan Ampadu were running and dictating games in Leeds' double-pivot last season, but Gruev impressed when called upon following Pascal Struijk's injury, and has been handed plenty of chances in 2024 to make the position his own.

It's no surprise in some ways, given the pedigree of the Bulgarian international, and the fact that the club spent a significant outlay on the midfielder when they paid £5 million to sign him from Werder Bremen. However, the competition for places is far fiercer this season, with Ampadu no longer required in defence, nor Archie Gray's replacement.

Ilia Gruev's midfield role at Leeds United

With Ampadu deployed in the centre of defence at the back-end of last season, Gruev was able to take his spot in the best role for his skill-set. A defensive midfielder, Gruev is comfortable in possession at receiving off the central defenders and strong in the tackle, which Leeds finally saw more of during the second half of the campaign last season after he initially got off to a slow start.

Not only has he been a strong shield for the defence and committed out of possession, but the midfielder has combined that with superb vision and passes of the ball to keep Leeds ticking over. However, he is more of a high-volume retention player, as opposed to someone who will break lines with his passing and speed up the tempo of an attack, nor is Gruev a regular goalscorer.

The Bulgarian may well have been one of the most consistent players for the Whites since the turn of the year, as he took his chance with both hands, starting in all of their league games so far this term as well. That, however, has been as a more advanced player beyond Ampadu, who is not utilising Gruev at his optimum capabilities.

In many ways, he is too good to be a substitute, but cannot start in Leeds' best XI when everyone is fit now. Players like Joe Rodon, Struijk, and Ampadu help form the spine of the team, and should not be tampered with unless injury hits, and Gruev's profile is best served as Ampadu's understudy in many ways.

That's especially true after the recent signings of Tanaka and Joe Rothwell. The German will have a hard time fitting everyone in who deserves to start, but they require more of a natural specialist in the box-to-box role alongside Leeds' newly appointed captain, Ampadu.

Tanaka, in particular, has a better feel for the tempo than Gruev, knowing when to speed the play up or retain it in defensive areas. That, and greater output in terms of both goals and assists, should combine to give Leeds greater balance than a double-pivot of Ampadu with Gruev slightly ahead of him.

Both are nominally defensive midfielders in profile-terms, whilst Tanaka is more of a natural "No.8", thus should pair well alongside one of the two players. Ampadu is now the club-captain and cornerstone of the side in many ways, which means Gruev's place in the side in the long-term is likely to be the bench as high quality cover in Ampadu's shadow.

It's a good problem to have two quality players in that area, especially as Ampadu played all-but-one of Leeds' games last season, and could benefit from occasional periods of rest or rotation with Gruev taking over, but the Welshman is incredibly hard to drop due to the sheer reliability and consistency of his displays since signing from Chelsea.

Ao Tanaka will usurp Ilia Gruev in Leeds' midfield

It may not be likely to come this Saturday against Burnley, but Tanaka has been signed to start games in this Leeds team. One of the club's biggest issues last season was regarding the number of goals scored from midfielders. There were just three goals scored between Leeds' pivot players in Ampadu, Gray, Kamara, and Gruev across all competitions. That signified the need for more there this summer.

A restructuring of midfield profiles with a more attack-minded player is an area the recruitment team have worked hard to address. At least one player was required who is capable of playing deeper but with good distance shooting and ball-striking to spread the goals around the team further, and Leeds signed two of them in the end.

The Japanese international midfielder is not just joining as a squad player but to be much more than that after embarking on promotion-pushing campaigns with Fortuna Düsseldorf as well. In signing him, Leeds have secured the services of a long-term target, after links emerged to Tanaka last summer before Leeds signed Gruev and Kamara instead late in the window.

Tanaka registered 12 goal contributions for Düsseldorf in 36 appearances in all competitions from midfield, highlighting his contribution towards his team’s attacking output; although he tended to find himself deployed in a deeper role during the season, which is where the Whites need more direct goal output from themselves.

Rothwell should be a shrewd loan signing in his own right and could slot in perfectly well alongside Ampadu if given the chance. Tanaka is perhaps a slight level above, and should thrive if he is partnered with a player who wins plenty of his aerial duels and individual battles, meaning Tanaka and Ampadu should complement each other well for Leeds.

His ball-winning abilities won't ease the burden on Ampadu as much as Gruev, meaning they could sacrifice some defensive stability for his attacking capabilities, but he should also provide a different dimension to the Bulgarian, who himself is a holding midfielder, with Leeds needing more of a box-to-box presence.

The Japanese midfielder will undoubtedly form a new-look pivot with Ampadu in the long-term. Tanaka's upside will come in possession, as he can carry the ball, but most importantly, he has an eye for a pass and real composure, as well as far better scoring instincts.

Either Rothwell or Tanaka would help to provide more X-factor to Gruev, but Tanaka is the true controlling influence, who will demand the ball and show intent to move it forwards, whilst also having the intelligence to slow down the tempo and retain possession when required, too.

He is also capable of getting into good shooting positions in the final third and the ability to crash the box well, whilst he and Rothwell can both be a threat when shooting from distance in time and space. Farke will eventually settle on two player profiles for each of the defensive midfield roles, but Gruev simply does not have the required thrust and drive to affect games with goal contributions regularly.

It's an inevitability and only a matter of time with Tanaka taking that spot in the team, who has the pedigree and reputation to usurp his midfield counterparts, and should eventually form the primary starting pairing for Farke in the near future to give them the much-needed balance over playing two similar and like-minded midfielders together, as the German is currently.

For the reported fee involved of around €4 million (£3.4 million), it ought to be one of the best transfer deals of the summer for Leeds, who have signed a peak-age player with plenty of the required attributes to be a good performer in a dominant team.