Leeds United’s full-backs have been crucial for Daniel Farke since his appointment in 2023, and in Jayden Bogle, he’s got a superb option to take into this Premier League season.
Many neutrals had reservations over Leeds’ survival credentials this season, not paying much attention to the fact that United boasted a better defence than Burnley last season in terms of xGA and shots faced per 90.
That defensive strength was on show last night as Leeds beat Everton 1-0 at Elland Road to kickstart their Premier League survival bid.
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Jayden Bogle locks up Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish as Leeds United beat Everton
Leeds right-back Jayden Bogle had to shake off a totally undeserved tag of being suspect defensively during his time in the Championship with us, and won over the popular consensus emphatically as the best in class.
His first test in the Premier League was a huge one, going 1v1 against his former Sheffield United teammate Iliman Ndiaye, one of the most frightening attackers with the ball at his feet in the Premier League and one of the best dribblers in the league too.
(REUTERS/Scott Heppell)
What followed was a largely ineffective display from the Toffees star man, locked up by Bogle to the point where second half changes forced Ndiaye out of the right-back’s pocket as he swapped wings to make way for Jack Grealish, who found himself facing the same issue.
|Ndiaye and Grealishcombined v Leeds|
|---|---|
|Touches|49|
|Pass success|25/31|
|Key passes|1|
|Dribble success|1/3|
|Shots (on target)|1 (0)|
|Possession lost|12|
Bournemouth hijacking Leeds United for Max Aarons led to bargain Jayden Bogle deal
When Farke initially wanted a right-back during his first summer in charge, Bogle wasn’t available as he was heading to the Premier League with Sheffield United, so he looked to Norwich City’s Max Aarons – a deal was agreed and a medical was due to take place.
(Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs)
However, Bournemouth swooped in at the last minute to hijack the deal under Andoni Iraola, leaving Leeds to look to Djed Spence on loan as an alternative, which didn’t turn out well as United cut his loan short in January and used Archie Gray as a makeshift full-back for the rest of the season.
While Aarons was unable to make the grade at Bournemouth, as the Cherries soared towards the top half under Iraola, Leeds looked to Bogle in the summer of 2024 and struck an agreement with the Blades at £5million, a fee that raised eyebrows anyway from a promotion rival, but proved to be more and more of a bargain every time Bogle turned out for United.
Having just turned 25 last month, Bogle heads into the Premier League off the back of a Championship Team of the Year inclusion, and one standout defensive performance already under his belt to get United off the mark in the division above.
Aarons’ stock in the meantime has dipped drastically, sent out on loan to Valencia last season and now at Russell Martin’s Rangers, while Bogle has gone from strength to strength in the Premier League.
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