Leeds United winners and losers - trio on redemption arcs as Farke warning takes on truth

The Whites ended that last tranche of fixtures with mixed feelings, having come so close to a seven-point week and then let two points slip in the final seconds at Sunderland. As a team, there is still plenty to be done and a few question marks that need to be answered as the campaign develops, but 16 points from the first nine is not a bad return and they are well placed in the table. There is nothing, so far, to suggest that Leeds will not be right up there challening this season.

But what about individuals? First things first, we’re not declaring these players winners and losers in general, not really. It’s just a way of categorising who has had the start to the season that they wanted and who has not. Nothing has been won, by anyone, and there is still enough time that those getting off to a difficult start could easily turn their season around.

Winner: Willy Gnonto

When the YEP wrote back in August 2023 that there was a way back for Willy Gnonto and it was paved with goals and assists, it was still far from certain that he would walk that path. But 14 months on, with fans signing his name after a goal and four assists from what were arguably three consecutive Man of the Match performances, he's threatening to move on from mere redemption to hero status.

The departure of Crysencio Summerville has helped facilitate this because that £40m move opened up a vacuum. It left space for someone else to become the main man at Leeds and regardless of who was signed in the summer, Gnonto was always going to be a prime candidate. On the evidence so far, he came into this season with every intention of stepping up. And yes, part of it might be a desire to follow his good friends Summerville and Georginio Rutter into the Premier League come what may, next summer. But if his determination to get back to the top flight takes Leeds United along with him, then who cares what is driving him?

There is a danger to simply look at end product when determining an attacking player's influence but where Gnonto deserves most credit is for the energy he is putting in to try and get results for Leeds. Sunderland was perhaps the greatest example of this because in a second half that saw Leeds sit uncharacteristically deep and look to counter, Gnonto was the man picking up the ball and running it from deep, taking kicks and drawing fouls to ease pressure. There have been other moments like that this season when he has just decided to be the man, taking the ball wherever and taking responsibility for Leeds' possession game. Against Sheffield Wednesday he dropped as deep as his own half to go and get the thing and take it to the opposition.

Others individuals deserve credit too - Pascal Struijk has been vital to Leeds' build-up play and contributed to clean sheets - but if there is to be only one winner from this first part of the season then you simply cannot look past Gnonto.

Winner: Junior Firpo

Another man on a redemption arc, but for very different reasons to Gnonto, is Junior Firpo. Defensive frailty and issues over his fitness had dogged him in the Premier League and even last season it took until January for him to get going. But once he got going, he proved himself an asset worth cherishing in the Championship. And this season has allowed him to take that narrative even further. Defensively he has been sound and he wins the majority of his aerial duels. On the ball he has been dangerous and off it, he takes up dangerous and clever positions. With a contract that runs out next summer and the potential for Leeds to be a Premier League club again, the future is far from certain for Firpo but at present he is an important part of the puzzle. He's made himself important. His full-time reaction at Sunderland shows how invested he is in the present, too.

Winner: Brenden Aaronson

There is a theme developing here. A third man with a redemption story, although Brenden Aaronson is still closer to the bottom of the arc than Gnonto and Firpo. In terms of end product there is still work to be done and at times he still gets shoved off the ball too easily, but no one can doubt the effort he's putting in for Leeds United. He has largely been tidy on the ball, linking attacks and buzzing around to find space. Some of his work on the final third has been incisive. Only Gnonto has created more big chances. He presses with intensity and he's been surprisingly successful in the air. With injuries plaguing the squad, anyone showing durability becomes important and Aaronson has been ever-available. His versatility helps too in the face of Manor Solomon and Daniel James' absences. Perhaps not the number 10 everyone wanted, but the one they've got and he's not doing a bad job of it.

Winners: Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell

It is too early to say if they will take the opportunity, but what an opportunity this pair have been given. It was always going to be hard for either man to break into the side with Farke so keen on his defensive duo Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev but now Tanaka and Rothwell are it. They are the midfield. What they make of this chance, which has come out of the blue, is largely down to them. It will be a big job, adjusting and forming a partnership as a pair of forward-thinking 8s in place of a pair of 6s. Their passing abilities are unquestioned and they will give Leeds a threat, but can they keep things solid enough at the back? At least they will get the match minutes in which to try and prove themselves as individuals and as a pairing.

Loser: Manor Solomon

One assist and 150-odd minutes of football is not what Leeds United or Manor Solomon wanted from his first two months on loan, but no one can say it wasn't possible. Farke himself even made sure to point out Solomon's injury situation in his post-deadline discussion of the recruitment effort. It was a wise warning. Coming off a serious injury, there was always the potential for niggles to prevent Solomon from hitting the season at pace and sustaining it.

A back issue that led to a hamstring issue and suddenly Solomon has missed four games and even if an October international break spent at Thorp Arch allows him to recover, he will surely need time to work his way back to match fitness before being considered for further starts. Solomon's absence has, at least, allowed Largie Ramazani to make an impact but Leeds will need both of them this season.

Loser: Max Wober

Another player for whom the season is yet to really get going. An Austrian international of his experience and leadership abilities, in the Championship, could be a real blessing for Leeds. But injuries, plural, and a recent knee operation have ruled him out for six weeks. To date he hasn't played a minute of Championship football and has had just one underwhelming Carabao Cup appearance to reflect on. Even if Struijk and Firpo have the left-hand side of the defence locked down, there will surely be opportunities for Wober to force his way in and see game time if he can just stay fit long enough.

Losers: Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev and Daniel Farke

What luck? What were the chances? Both going down with serious knee injuries in the space of a few days was a scenario no one would have conjured up, even in their worst nightmare. And yet it is Leeds’ reality. So while Ampadu and Gruev begin the gruelling rehab and strive to get back as quickly as possible while having to watch the season unfold, Farke must now take steps to protect his team without either of his defensive midfield enforcers. It is a problem he could never have seen coming but, at present, it looks the biggest problem facing the manager as we head into the winter period.