It's fair to say that Leeds United have been blessed with some top talents in recent years, even when matters on the pitch haven't always gone so smoothly.
All you have to do is cast your eye back to last season to see when Daniel Farke's side failed to win promotion up from the Championship, despite boasting the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter and Archie Gray in their team.
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In the here and now, a new group of heroes are attempting to get the Whites back up to the Premier League, with Ao Tanaka just one fresh face that the often restless Leeds fanbase have taken to since his summer arrival.
Leeds have often struck gold in the central midfield department, away from just Tanaka shining, with both Mateusz Klich and Kalvin Phillips sticking out as modern-day greats in West Yorkshire.
Klich & Phillips at Leeds
Both Klich and Phillips are most fondly remembered for being stalwarts in the middle of the park under the celebrated reign of Marcelo Bielsa, who is still loved to this day at Elland Road, much like the two aforementioned midfielders.
The Polish ace would prove to be a masterstroke of a signing, even if he was loaned out mid-way through his first campaign donning Leeds white, with his tenaciousness centrally key to Bielsa's high-octane approach.
Never one to shy away from a tough battle, the adored Whites number 43 would also go on to be a goalscoring menace for his side, with a mightily impressive 24 goals notched up from 191 total appearances before his sad exit to DC United in 2023.
Phillips' departure to Manchester City was also tinged with obvious sorrow, considering his boyhood loyalties to the West Yorkshire outfit.
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Bielsa would turn Phillips into a £45m star, with the homegrown Leeds talent amassing 234 appearances by the time of his move away to the Etihad, scoring 14 goals and assisting a further 13 along the way.
Leeds fans will take solace in the fact that the current crop available to Farke can also write their names into the history books like Klich and Phillips, with one midfield gem a great combination of the two with his performances of late.
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Chalkboard FFC
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Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Leeds' new Klich & Phillips hybrid
Joe Rothwell signing on the dotted line this summer for the promotion chasers would have gone under the radar, away from the more flashy purchases of the likes of Largie Ramazani and Manor Solomon.
Still, the midfield loanee has more than proven his worth now for Farke's men, with his game-time ramped up ever since the likes of Ilia Gruev suffered a serious knee injury.
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The 29-year-old is now up to 21 games played in the Championship this season, with 13 of those being starts as he begins to form a steady midfield relationship with Tanaka, who has even been heralded as an "unbelievable signing" by his manager for his stylish showings in the middle.
Rothwell is also deserving of some praise, with the ex-Southampton man a perfect mix of both Klich and Phillips in terms of being able to get stuck in with duels being won, whilst also never looking fazed with the ball at his feet.
Rothwell's numbers in December
Stat
Minutes played
Goals scored
Assists
Touches
Accurate passes
Key passes
Total duels won
Stats by Sofascore
His numbers for this month so far demonstrate that well, with Rothwell never falling below 90% with his pass accuracy across his three December contests in the Championship, whilst also winning a collective 11 duels.
Although he is yet to score this season in the second tier, the midfield star also has a first-time bullet up his sleeve, seen last campaign when he scored this beauty for the Saints on the way to promotion to the Premier League being reached.
His then Saints boss Russell Martin would even label him as "amazing", with Farke hopeful there's even more to come from his number eight as their own promotion glory is sealed.
Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka Related
[Imagine him & Tanaka: Leeds plot bid for £6m star who's a "one-man army"](https://www.footballfancast.com/imagine-him-tanaka-leeds-plot-bid-for-dario-essugo/ "Imagine him & Tanaka: Leeds plot bid for £6m star who's a "one-man army"")
Leeds United are reportedly eyeing up a January swoop for the young midfielder.