Leeds United have enjoyed a strong return to life in the Championship this season after they were relegated from the Premier League earlier this year.
Daniel Farke was brought in to lead the team back to the big time and has won five of his opening 11 league matches, with the club currently sitting fifth and in the play-offs heading into the October international break.
The German head coach was allowed to bring in a number of new signings to bolster his squad in order to give him the best possible chance of achieving promotion and a few of his additions have already proven themselves to be fine acquisitions.
Leeds' top-five Championship performers (minimum five appearances):
Crysencio Summerville
7.60
Daniel James
7.31
Sam Byram
7.30
Ethan Ampadu
7.30
Luke Ayling
7.23
As you can see in the table above, Sam Byram and Ethan Ampadu have both hit the ground running since their respective moves to Elland Road during the summer transfer window.
The former, in particular, has been an impressive signing for Leeds as he was brought in on a free transfer after his contract with Norwich expired at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
Why did Leeds sign Byram?
Byram only played 54 matches for the Canaries in four years at Carrow Road and some may have questioned why the club wanted to sign a player with a concerning fitness record.
However, The Athletic recently reported that Farke recommended the signing to the board as the German tactician had worked with him in Norfolk and believed that the English dynamo would be the best left-back in the division when fit.
The 30-year-old battler only started 11 Championship matches for Norwich, with another four appearances off the bench, during the 2022/23 campaign but has proven himself to be an excellent performer for Leeds and a big upgrade on Junior Firpo.
How has Byram performed this season?
Byram has averaged a fantastic Sofascore rating of 7.30 across ten league games for the Whites so far this term, which has him as the third-best performer amongst the current squad.
The veteran defender, who has chipped in with one goal and one assist from left-back, has caught the eye with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game and zero errors that have led to a shot or goal for the opposition, as per Sofascore.
He has also only been dribbled past 0.5 times per match in the Championship and this shows that opposition players are finding it difficult to get past him down that flank.
Journalist Ross Heppenstall described him as an "important" figure for Farke at the back and his statistics over the last few months back that up, as the German head coach has hit the jackpot with the signing of the superb full-back.
How has Firpo performed for Leeds?
Whereas, Firpo, who was signed from Barcelona for £13m in 2021, struggled badly in his first two Premier League seasons with the Whites.
The Elland Road flop averaged Sofascore ratings of 6.60 and 6.55 across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns respectively and was dribbled past 1.2 times per game across those two years.
Firpo, who played 19 top-flight games last term, is yet to make an appearance at Championship level this season but his dismal statistics in Yorkshire to date do not suggest that there is much more to come from him.
Byram's performances for Leeds have been significantly better than anything the 27-year-old dud has been able to show for the Whites, due to his average performance level and defensive reliability.
That is why Farke hit the jackpot by signing him for nothing as the ex-Norwich left-back has instantly become better than the £13m flop has ever been for the club, albeit at Championship level so far.
