Leeds United and their recruitment team can point to the league position to justify the business they did in the last two transfer windows.
However, Leeds have had some luck in terms of avoiding long-term injuries to key players, while a few unexpected stars have emerged over the course of the season.
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Keeping Dominic Calvert-Lewin fit this season has been a huge part of their success, as the forward has scored 10 Premier League goals and has been their talisman up front.
However, James Justin has emerged as one of the standouts of the season, unexpectedly, and he has bailed out the 49ers after they made a huge transfer error in the last two windows.
James Justin has rescued a poor decision by the Leeds recruitment team
Leeds forked out a fee worth up to £10m to sign the defender from Leicester City last summer, and it has proven to be a smart piece of business.
He was brought in as the back-up to Jayden Bogle, but Justin has done more than just be the reserve right-back in the squad.
The defender has played as a centre-back in a few games and has played a major role as a left wing-back when Gabriel Gudmundsson has been injured.
In fact, Justin’s performances as a left wing-back have helped Leeds to hide a major recruitment error in the last two transfer windows.
Gudmundsson is the only natural left-back in the squad, and his injuries this season threatened to expose a major weakness in the Leeds armoury this season.
However, Justin has stepped up, and his versatility has played a huge role in helping Farke to hide the obvious limitation of his overall squad.
If not for him, the Leeds recruitment would have come under fire as it was clear that the manager was keen to sign another left-back towards the end of the winter window.
Justin has been exceptional this season
The defender’s arrival last summer was met with scepticism as some felt Leeds paid too much money for a back-up, and his performances in the Premier League previously were poor as well.
However, Justin has proved to be a value for money this season. His versatility has allowed Farke to have more tactical flexibility in his team.
Defensive Metric Stat
Clean Sheets 2
Interceptions 0.9
Tackles per Game 1.2
Possession Won (Final Third) 0.0
Balls Recovered per Game 1.9
Dribbled Past per Game 0.4
Clearances per Game 2.2
Blocked Shots per Game 0.3
Errors Leading to Shot 1
Errors Leading to Goal 0
Penalties Committed 0
He has played as centre-back, right wing-back and left wing-back and has allowed the squad to not feel the pinch of injuries to key players.
Leeds didn’t miss Bogle when he was out with an injury because Justin stepped up. Gudmundsson’s injury didn’t cause panic due to the former Leicester defender’s presence.
Justin has even featured as a centre-back, which means Farke has a player in the squad who can play anywhere in the defence, which is invaluable.