As Leeds United’s manager, Daniel Farke has not made many mistakes.
From leading Leeds to 76 points after 36 games to navigating through one of the most challenging summers at Elland Road in a number of years, Farke has done everything he possibly could since taking over.
But one individual, whose time at Leeds was abruptly ended during the January transfer window, will not be looking back on this season with optimism.
That’s Djed Spence, of course. Spence was ordered back to Tottenham after spending the entire season on loan at Leeds due to alleged problems with his timekeeping, which he has subsequently refuted.
Spence spent much of his football career playing at left-back after recovering from a three-month knee injury. In an interview with The Athletic, he stated he was unable to perform at his best when playing out of position.
Spence claims he was not in his proper role at Leeds.
“I went there, things were going well, and then I got hurt,” he stated. My knee was seriously injured, and even after I recovered, I was constantly experiencing agony. When I returned, I was playing a little, but I was at left-back, on the wrong side. It was not simple. I didn’t play to my greatest ability; everyone wants to be in the best possible situation.
Spence was forced to play left-back in several games because of Archie Gray’s form and injuries to Sam Byram and Junior Firpo, Leeds’ first-choice left-backs.
Spence had flashes of his potential against teams like Sunderland and Ipswich Town, but his finest professional campaign was with Nottingham Forest.
Although it is impossible to dispute with Spence that he never really had an opportunity to play in his best position, Grey has finally proven to be difficult to remove, even for recent addition Connor Roberts.
It feels like Leeds made the right choice in bringing in Roberts instead of Spence, even though he could have contributed significantly to the promotion push had he played at his peak.
