Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka is no doubt frustrated by his lack of regular playing time this season, but has ambitions of etching his name higher up in Japan’s history with the league.
Now that the season has drawn to a close, there are some Leeds players whose involvement continues with the World Cup.
For Japan star Ao Tanaka, he’ll be looking to put a somewhat mixed season behind him after a bright end to the season.
Ao Tanaka linked with transfer away from Leeds United after rough spell out of Daniel Farke’s XI
After dazzling performances against West Ham (FA Cup), Man United, Wolves and Bournemouth, it’s easy to forget this hasn’t been an easy season for Tanaka.
Despite goals against Chelsea and Liverpool, a poor showing away at Brentford saw Daniel Farke cast Tanaka to one side. Since then, he’s had to be patient for his opportunities.
In the meantime, after his goal away at West Ham in the cup, Tanaka was linked with a move away. Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg claimed that the midfielder was open to leave the club. And, claimed he preferred a move within the Premier League if he were to exit.
After that report leaked, the 27-year-old then started all of Leeds’ seven remaining league games. Prior to that, Tanaka had only started seven league games in total, doubling that figure with consecutive starts.
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Tanaka himself is seemingly somewhat open to exploring a move away. And, Paraag Marathe’s open letter confirms Leeds will sell players if they see fit.
However, as the World Cup nears for Tanaka, he’s still looking at how he can write Japanese history in the Premier League.
“I want to surpass six goals soon,” Tanaka told Sport Hochi. “First place is Kaoru Mitoma with 23 goals, second is Shinji Okazaki with 14, and third is Maya Yoshida, Takumi Minamino, and Shinji Kagawa with 6 goals each. Right now I have 2, and I want to reach 7. You can rack up playing time if you’re in the league. But no matter how many matches you play, if you don’t score, you won’t be remembered. It’s amazing how Kaoru’s goals are so incredible that the images just pop into my head.”
On the specific topic of actually leaving Leeds, Tanaka considered an exit in the winter months. He was clearly unhappy at his situation, as he hopes his form changes perceptions on a transfer.
“It was a good shot. It hit a defender and went in, but I think God saw everything I’ve been working on,” Tanaka said in the previous part of this interview. “I thought if I didn’t do well here, I’d never get to play again. But I made a comeback. I was a phoenix.
“There were talks of a transfer in the winter, and I thought about moving, but I really wanted to play in the Premier League. I told my teammates who weren’t playing either, ‘Watch out, my time will definitely come.’ And it really did come.
“I think of life as a stock market. There are times when it falls, like during the Lehman Shock or the pandemic, but I thought it would be good if it kept rising. I never stopped believing and continuing.”
Leeds United faced with tough Ao Tanaka summer transfer decision
I think the club can make a good case either way for keeping or selling Tanaka this summer.
On the ‘keep’ side of the argument, he’s clearly shown that he’s capable of playing in the Premier League. Performances against Everton, Chelsea, Liverpool, West Ham, Man Utd, and others all prove he can do it. Hopefully, with a season under his belt, consistency is the next step that will follow for him. And, that would be massive for Leeds.
On the ‘sell’ side, you could argue that someone signed for such a small fee might represent a chance of making shrewd profit.
If Tanaka isn’t going to be a starter going forward, there might be scope to get an eight-figure sum that can be spent on someone who would be starting.
His form late in this season has me reconsidering if we should sell him, though. He’s shown that all it takes is more trust in his ability. That’s something that Tanaka himself will testify to.
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