Some supporters are hoping the Leeds United defender makes his debut tomorrow
Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter
11:12, 23 Oct 2025
Isaac Johnson
Isaac is the Leeds United reporter for LeedsLive. An NCTJ-qualified journalist, Isaac has interviewed many football icons during his career, including World Cup winners and Premier League champions. He has also sat down with a number of Olympic greats, such as Adam Peaty MBE and Dame Laura Kenny.
Jaka Bijol is still waiting to get the Premier League green light from Daniel Farke
View 2 Images
Jaka Bijol is still waiting to get the Premier League green light from Daniel Farke(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Will Daniel Farke finally give Jaka Bijol his Premier League debut in the next game? It’s a question that has been asked with increasing frequency by Leeds United fans over the past month.
The club are almost a quarter of the way through the Premier League season and their £15million summer centre-back signing has yet to get his league bow. Bijol has already spoken out about how he is not happy with the situation, though understands the reasons behind it.
Aside from the Arsenal game, when all players were far off the pace, Pascal Struijk has not dropped an outright ‘stinker’. However, some have questioned whether the level he is currently at is good enough and whether Bijol could offer that extra two per cent that makes the difference.
Because there is an anomaly currently at play. Only Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle United have conceded more xGA (expected goals against) in the opening eight games so far. Yet for actual goals conceded (13), only four teams rank worse.
“Sometimes football is difficult to explain,” said Daniel Farke when these statistics were put to him ahead of Friday’s clash against West Ham United, who are bottom of the goals-conceded pile with 18.
“When I judge our defensive players, their performances, they haven't done much wrong in the last game, but very little was already punished. One thing is the top level… Quality players in the offense sometimes punish opponents out of very little.
“[Being] switched on this something you also have to address a little bit, but also in a way that you don't kill the confidence too much.”
Farke spoke about the players looking at “little details” and what to do better to ensure offensive players do not get the chance to punish Leeds. It is these little details which are prompting the questions about Bijol.
The centre-back position is quite a rigid role and Farke outlined his mindset post-Burnley that changing the back line normally means something has gone wrong, aside from injury or illness. As it happens, Struijk himself, along with Ethan Ampadu, missed a training session this week due to being ill.
Whether that has an impact on selection will not be known until Farke reveals his team and explains his selections. If Bijol is picked, there are two truths that he will have to stomach.
The first is being match rusty. Luckily, he has played four times for Slovenia during his time at Leeds so his match readiness is not as low as Sebastiaan Bornauw’s, who has featured in just one game overall so far - the League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, when he partnered Bijol at centre-back.
That said, Bijol is going to be lacking top sharpness regardless of when he comes in and it will only get worse the longer he is out of the team. Integrating him against an off-colour West Ham side that had to play Lucas Paqueta as the main striker versus Brentford could be the perfect window of opportunity.
Jaka Bijol has not yet played in the Premier League
View 2 Images
Jaka Bijol has not yet played in the Premier League(Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
The second truth is that Bijol will have to perform, and quickly. Farke won’t hold it against him personally, per se, if his levels are not as high initially but Struijk has shown he can do a good job and will be waiting in the wings.
“This is professional football, and this is what everyone has to adapt to and make sure that everyone, when he gets the chance, is ready to deliver,” Farke outlined on Wednesday. Bijol is in a tricky and high-pressure situation where he must perform after sitting on the bench all season.
The fact is, we are yet to see how Bijol fares in the Premier League. It is not a certainty he will be at a higher level than Struijk. He might be, and Farke will have to take the gamble at some stage. But the manager knows what Struijk offers him at this level, unlike Bijol.
So, does he stick or twist? Leeds cannot afford another off-day right now. Going three games without a point would crank up the pressure on Farke and the next few games.
Fans should therefore not be shocked if Struijk does start again if well enough. Yet every game that passes without minutes for Bijol only makes his task harder. And if it is the two per cent that makes the difference, Bijol might be the risk worth taking.
Here at LeedsLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the bestLeeds Unitedcoverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest Leeds news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clickinghereto subscribe.
Article continues below
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Clickhereto be sent all the day's biggest stories.