Farke’s decision to keep Firpo at Leeds has made sense – but what does his future hold? — The Athletic 12/3/24
By Nancy Froston and Phil Hay
Junior Firpo to Leeds United has not been the most natural
fit.
The 27-year-old left-back divides opinion and has never
quite found the form generated by the excitement of a €15million (£12.8m;
$16.4m) transfer from Barcelona in 2021.
But this season, he is fulfilling a specific role for Daniel
Farke in a situation that has been about efficiency and pragmatism, as well as
showing Leeds’ ability to tease value from signings that have not been a
resounding success. Firpo is far from the perfect player — he can be easily
exposed defensively due to his positioning and reading of the game — yet this
season has been the best of his career if measured by the assists he has
contributed.
His sweeping cross to set up Patrick Bamford in the 2-0 win
over Sheffield Wednesday last week made it five assists from 17 Championship
appearances.
At Hillsborough, the strengths and weaknesses of his game
were in sharp contrast as his attacking brilliance collided with defensive
fragility. After a first-half wobble in defence, his assist and second-half
display against relegation-threatened opponents pointed to Farke’s ability to
know his players in the context of this division and his squad.
“Yes, Junior’s an attack-minded full-back and he suits our
game that much because he can join the attack,” Farke explained after the win
over Wednesday that took them back into the automatic promotion places.
“He’s been great in the recent weeks. Defending, he can be
more switched on, but also once, we were not there in perfect positioning. He
is a threat in possession and created so many chances. If he could do both
things at the top level, we could not afford him. He has many strengths and I
am pleased he could show this.”
Firpo has enjoyed a sustained run of minutes in the team —
which has coincided with Leeds’ unbeaten run of 12 league games — after a spell
on the sidelines in the early part of the season. It is no coincidence that his
minutes have increased as injury problems have returned for rival left-back Sam
Byram, but Firpo has had his moments. All of his assists have come in the run
of games over the last two and a half months.
Assists are a meaningful contribution to any team but are
not the only metric worth measuring. There are reasons Firpo has more than
Byram (a right-footer playing on the left), Luke Ayling (an ageing player sent
out on loan to Middlesbrough in January) and Archie Gray (a natural midfielder
playing at right-back).
Another of Leeds’ full-backs this season, Djed Spence, on
loan from Tottenham Hotspur, never settled at Elland Road and was recalled in
January. Stuart Dallas is still recovering from a broken leg suffered in April
2022 and Connor Roberts only signed on loan from Burnley in the January window.
With Byram, who worked with Farke at Norwich, as his
competition, Firpo has done relatively well. His qualities are plain to see —
he prefers attacking to defending and where that might be easily exposed at a
higher level, there is a margin to accommodate a player like the former Spain
Under-21 international in the Championship as Leeds are less likely to be
punished.
During the summer restructure when 49ers Enterprises
completed its takeover in June, it would have been easy for Leeds to sell
Firpo. The signing had not lived up to expectations. Leeds’ porous defence
under Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce conceded 78 goals as it slid
out of the Premier League last season and Firpo struggled throughout.
Farke, however, saw a player who could contribute and make
an impact at a lower level and told the club to keep Firpo as part of his
plans.
There is little doubt that that situation will be reassessed
should Leeds win promotion, with Firpo’s previous contributions across 33
Premier League games hardly convincing. When he arrived at the club in June
2021, with Marcelo Bielsa as Leeds manager, there was the initial culture shock
paired with much more intense training methods than at Barcelona. Firpo found
it hard to acclimatise.
His one goal and one assist in 19 league appearances last
season came as Leeds failed to retain their top-flight status. That disastrous
campaign further highlighted the players who were struggling or had never been
the right fit for the club. Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin), Robin Koch
(Eintracht Frankfurt) and Luis Sinisterra (Bournemouth) were sent on loan to
help reduce the wage bill, but Firpo found a place under Farke.
With a year left on Firpo’s contract, it seems unlikely that
a renewal will be on the table. Byram’s contract is due to run out this summer
and, despite his longstanding injury concerns, which have crept back in, the
30-year-old has impressed and remains a favourite of Farke.
