Former Leeds United boss pinpoints key Jayden Bogle improvement as £5m transfer fit praised

Paul Heckingbottom expects Jayden Bogle to prove an excellent signing for Leeds United - but the £5million man is not quite the finished product.

Bogle joined Leeds from Championship rivals Sheffield United earlier this summer, making the short trip north after being identified by Daniel Farke as the man to succeed Archie Gray at right-back. The 23-year-old was into the final 12 months of his contract at Bramall Lane and seemingly jumped at the chance of a move, joining up with his new teammates for pre-season in Germany shortly after the deal was announced.

Farke has wasted little time getting his new signing involved and a pair of assists for teammate Mateo Joseph typified the full-back’s attacking instincts during wins over Hannover 96 and Schalke 04. Heckingbottom is no stranger to Bogle, having managed him at Sheffield United, and while there is undoubted quality going forward, the former Leeds and Blades boss believes it can still be polished up a little.

"Not only has Jayden got experience and success in the Championship - he's fearless in how he plays," Heckingbottom told Leeds Live. "He plays on the front foot and takes the game to the opposition, which is what Leeds are going to want to do.

"The bit that he would want to improve in his game would be his end product in terms of his decision-making in the final third and his final pass but, having said that, because he's so direct and wants to play on the front foot, he still creates so much regardless. He trains well, works hard, is a fit boy and his 1 v 1 defending and willingness to defend is probably a lot better than he gets credit for."

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What looks certain is that Bogle will offer greater attacking threat than his predecessor Gray, who was impeccable in an unnatural role last season but a far more conservative pick. The 18-year-old registered just two assists in the Championship, with much of Leeds’ attacking play pushed towards the left.

While pre-season performances must be taken with a pinch of salt, Leeds look far more balanced going forward with Bogle in the team, and an early relationship looks to have been struck with Joseph. Farke will hope those early assists continue going into the 2024/25 Championship season, which kicks off at home to Portsmouth on Saturday.

Bogle does face a race to be fit for that season opener, however, having left the pitch with an injury during last weekend’s 2-1 friendly win over Valencia that proved not too friendly at all. Initial concerns over a serious issue were quickly eased by Farke, who revealed the right-back suffered a dead leg.

“I was really concerned about Jayden, we are still a bit thin at full-back,” Farke told the YEP after Saturday’s bruising clash. “It was a dead leg, not capable to stay on but it's normal after a few days it's gone. I'm not too concerned that he'll be not available for next week, I'm cautiously optimistic.”