Leeds United transfer target concern raised despite Daniel Farke fingerprints and immediate upgrade — YEP 15/7/24

By Joe Donnohue

Leeds United hope to bring Jayden Bogle to Elland Road this summer despite a bid for the right-back already having been rebuffed by Sheffield United.

The Whites appear to have identified the 23-year-old as a suitable alternative to Sam Byram, and replacement for departed duo Archie Gray and Connor Roberts, this summer. Bogle has one year remaining on his Blades contract but the South Yorkshire club are said to be holding out for £7 million with boss Chris Wilder stating every player has a price.

Sheffield United are currently in the midst of a takeover and recently signed Jamie Shackleton from Leeds following his release at the end of last month, but have been left with a depleted first-team squad following relegation from the Premier League. Bogle featured 36 times across all competitions throughout 2023/24, predominantly on the right-hand side of Wilder's defence.

The ex-Derby County man was highly-rated at Pride Park and subsequently signed by the Blades in 2020 following the team's ninth place Premier League finish the previous campaign. Sheffield United were relegated that year but since then bounced back into the top flight with Bogle playing over 100 times for the club.

One of the standout aspects to Bogle's game is his tendency to find the back of the net despite featuring more often than not as a full-back or wing-back. In each of his four seasons at Bramall Lane, the 23-year-old has scored three goals, taking his total to 12 for the club.

Last season, Leeds' right-backs managed just three goals between them with Byram scoring twice and on-loan defender Roberts netting another. Upon arriving at Elland Road last summer, manager Farke stated the team would need goals from all areas of the pitch if they were to be successful in restoring their top flight status.

Adding a full-back with an eye for goal would certainly go some way to achieving that and suggests Farke's fingerprints are all over the idea to launch a bid for Bogle.

There is, however, one aspect to Bogle's game which has consistently been an area of concern: passing. The 23-year-old's passing accuracy in the Premier League last season came out at 70.7 per cent over the course of the campaign, whilst in his most recent Championship season during 2022/23, that figure was lower at 67.3 per cent.

Granted, Sheffield United were one of the poorest sides in possession last season and that will play a part in Bogle's success rate, but it does appear to be a trend over the course of his entire career to date.

Typically, a lower pass success rate can be justified if a player is attempting proportionately more high-value passes - those which progress the ball up the pitch, into dangerous areas where the pass is more likely to be intercepted by an opponent.

This does not appear to have been the case with Bogle last term, though, averaging just 1.94 progressive passes for every 90 minutes played. Again, the Blades' collective woes and talent deficit compared to other Premier League teams will have been contributing factors, which is a theory supported by Bogle's performance in the 2022/23 Championship where he averaged 4.61 progressive passes per 90 minutes, placing him in the top 13 per cent of full-backs playing at a similar level.

Bogle's performance data over numerous seasons does suggest he is a more potent attacking threat than Leeds' previous and incumbent right-back options, which has likely informed the Whites' bid to bring him to Elland Road, while his work in opposition boxes demonstrates an immediate upgrade on Leeds' current attacking options at full-back. Similarly, Bogle is effective at beating players with a dribble at Championship level, something which would help disrupt deep defensive blocks which were often employed by opposing teams upon facing Leeds last season.

While Bogle's passing data in both the Premier League and Championship leaves a lot to be desired, the holistic picture suggests - for the second tier, at least - his signing would be a positive move for the club given his age, potential to be coached, effectiveness in front of goal and vast experience of the division.