Leeds United progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a win over Derby County on Sunday. However, another poor performance from Noah Okafor set the alarm bells ringing amid the Whites fanbase.
The Whites agreed a deal worth up to £18m to sign the winger from AC Milan. However, a few encouraging performances at the start of the season have not translated into something substantial.
Daniel Farke has been playing in a 5-3-2 formation, and he was using Okafor as the second striker alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin. However, Brenden Aaronson replacing the Swiss winger in the 4-3 defeat at Newcastle signalled a shift in the manager’s mood.
Okafor failed to provide any evidence on Sunday that he should be back in the league game against Fulham on Saturday, and the fans are now starting to lose patience with the forward.
Leeds fans are turning against Noah Okafor
Ao Tanaka and Wilfried Gnonto scored against Derby to prove their worth and make an argument to return to the starting eleven in Premier League games.
While Joel Piroe’s penalty miss grabbed the headlines, James Justin again showed why Jayden Bogle’s return to the team will not be a straightforward decision.
However, Okafor showed again why Farke decided to bring Aaronson back into the team and play him in the second striker’s role in the starting eleven.
| Statistic (per 90) | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Non-penalty goals | 0.17 | 26 |
| npxG (non-penalty xG) | 0.24 | 55 |
| Shots total | 1.82 | 30 |
| Assists | 0.00 | 3 |
| xAG (expected assisted goals) | 0.13 | 24 |
| npxG + xAG | 0.37 | 38 |
| Shot-creating actions | 3.24 | 37 |
The Leeds forward was poor and struggled to open up a Championship defence. His performance raised alarm bells and shocked Leeds supporters.
Leeds fans insist that he is definitely not an upgrade on Manor Solomon, who played a big role in getting the Whites promoted last season.
One supporter said, “He’s shocking. Solomon is better than him. Get rid in Jan for me.”
Another one added, “He’s very underwhelming and definitely no upgrade on Solomon. He also doesn’t help with tracking back defensively. I would put Willy before him on that side.”
A few more Leeds fans feel that his reputation is bigger than his performances, and he is struggling to fit into Farke’s new 5-3-2 system.
One fan claimed, “Came from AC Milan, though, so half the fan base thinks he’s a world beater, the bloke would have problems beating a Sunday league player.”
“Started the season off pretty well, but has been largely ineffective lately.
Perhaps we are too quick to get on a player’s back, look at Aaronson recently after a string of sub-optimal performances, so I still have hope that Okafor can recover.”
Aaronson is likely to continue in the team
Okafor’s poor form has led to Aaronson returning to the team, and the United States international is probably playing the best football of his career.
He was unlucky to concede the penalty against Newcastle, a decision that even Alan Shearer disagreed with, but he was superb in the second striker’s role alongside Calvert-Lewin.
The 25-year-old scored a brace against Newcastle and has three goals in his last two Premier League appearances.
Okafor did little on Sunday to suggest that he may return to the team against Fulham. Aaronson is almost certain to start at Elland Road on Saturday.
Farke is a fan of the work rate the United States star brings to the table. However, his attacking numbers in recent games have made it impossible to ignore him.
