Leeds United turn their attention back to the Premier League this weekend as they prepare to travel away from West Yorkshire to take on Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Whites beat Birmingham City on penalties at St. Andrew's in the fourth round of the FA Cup last weekend, setting up a fifth round clash with Daniel Farke's former side Norwich, but there was one negative to come out of that match.
Noah Okafor was forced off the pitch in the second half with a muscle injury, after assisting Lukas Nmecha's goal, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be available this weekend.
okafor-leeds-chelsea
Farke revealed after the match that the medical staff will assess the issue and that he hopes it was only a cramp, rather than anything that would keep the player out for a significant run of matches.
Okafor has registered two goals and one assist in his last three games in all competitions, playing as one of two number tens behind the starting striker, and the manager may have to replace him for the clash with Villa.
Who Leeds should replace Okafor with
Assuming Farke sticks with a 3-4-2-1 formation, Brenden Aaronson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin could take up two of the three spots in the front three, leaving Okafor's position as an attacking midfielder to be filled.
Noah-Okafor-Leeds
Natural options in that area of the pitch would be Wilfried Gnonto and Facundo Buonanotte, but both of those players failed to register a shot on target or a key pass as starters against Birmingham.
Neither of those players look ready to step up in a central role to be impactful in the Premier League, but Joel Piroe could be a surprise option in that position.
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The Dutch-born forward is yet to score a goal in the league this season, after he was the top scorer in the Championship last term, but he has only started two games and both of them were as a number nine.
Piroe-Brownhill-Championship-top-scorers 24-25 (timeless)
Piroe came off the bench to play in Okafor's place against Birmingham and showed signs of quality, creating one chance and winning three duels, and should be given a chance to see what he can do in that role from the start.
Whilst Farke will hope to find a solution to Okafor's potential absence against Aston Villa within his current squad, there is a former Leeds player who would walk into the current side in that position, as they are worth more than every player in the team.
The former Leeds star who is worth more than the entire squad
The Switzerland international is not the first electric forward to grace the Premier League in a Leeds shirt, as they had one special talent during their last stint in the top-flight.
Raphinha joined from Rennes for £17m and hit double figures for goals and assists across his two seasons with the club before joining Barcelona for a staggering fee of £55m in the summer of 2022.
Raphinha-Leeds-record-timeless
Almost four years later, the Brazil international is one of the best attackers in world football, with 13 goals and five assists in 23 games for Barcelona this season.
The left-footed wing wizard delivered an eye-catching haul of 34 goals and 22 assists in all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign, which landed him a fifth-place ranking in the 2025 Ballon d'Or, cementing himself as one of the world's best.
|2025 Ballon d'Or rankings|
|Rank|Player|
|---|
|1st|Ousmane Dembele|
|2nd|Lamine Yamal|
|3rd|Vitinha|
|4th|Mo Salah|
|5th|Raphinha|
|6th|Achraf Hakimi|
|7th|Kylian Mbappe|
|8th|Cole Palmer|
|9th|Gianluigi Donnarumma|
|10th|Nuno Mendes|
Raphinha has taken his game to the next level since moving on from Elland Road in 2022, with more goals and assists combined last season than he managed in both of his seasons at Leeds combined.
His market value has gone through the roof as a result of his spectacular performances for the Spanish giants. At the time of writing, Transfermarkt have his market value at roughly £69m, which is significantly more than the £55m the Whites raked in for his services.
Meanwhile, Leeds have four players who are valued at around £17m by Transfermarkt: Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu, Pascal Struijk, and Wilfried Gnonto.
This means that Raphinha is worth roughly four times as much as the club's highest-valued players, and is, of course, worth more than every single player in Farke's squad.
raphinha-barcelona
His sensational form, both for Leeds during his time at the club and for Barcelona, also shows that he would be a huge upgrade on Okafor in the present day, as the former AC Milan attacker has only scored four goals and provided one assist in all competitions.
Raphinha, who can play on the left, on the right, or through the middle, would be an ideal fit for the attacking midfield role in Farke's 3-4-2-1 formation both because of his attacking versatility and his immense quality in the final third.
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Unfortunately, though, the German head coach will have to find an alternative solution to Okafor's possible injury, and that could be starting Piroe in a new role.