The six best paid players at Leeds United were arranged according to value for money.
Leeds United, who now hold fifth position in the Championship with 19 points, have had a great start to their campaign.
Leeds still has one of the largest wage budgets in the league even after high-profile players left.
Among Leeds’ highest-paid players are Junior Firpo, Stuart Dallas, Dan James, Patrick Bamford, Pascal Struijk, and Georginio Rutter; nevertheless, their effect and performance differ.
Leeds United’s return to the Championship has started off well.
The Whites, who were demoted from the Premier League the previous season, had an extremely dismal year, yet they are among the early favourites to be promoted from the second division.
After winning 19 of their first 11 league games, Daniel Farke’s team is in fifth place in the standings going into the international break. However, they are 11 points behind champions Leicester City and nine points behind second-place Ipswich Town.
Although the club’s wage bill has drastically decreased due to the departure of several high-profile players this summer, the Whites still have one of the highest wage bills in the Championship.
Taking that into consideration, we evaluated the value for money of Leeds’ six highest paid players.
It should be emphasised that all numbers are estimates and are based on Capology.
Firpo earns £60,000 a week and £3,120,000 annually, making him the third-highest paid player for Leeds.
The defender, who came to the Whites from Barcelona in July 2021, was a pretty consistent presence during the team’s tenure in the top division, but at times, primarily because of his subpar play and bothersome injury problems, he has failed to win over fans.
Firpo missed over two months of action in the beginning of 23/24 despite continuing to play at Elland Road, as he was linked to a summer transfer to Real Betis.
Given Sam Byram’s stellar play at left-back, there are doubts about Firpo’s chances of returning to the starting lineup after his injury, and it’s reasonable to argue he hasn’t lived up to his full potential while in West Yorkshire.
Dallas, who makes £2,340,000 a year and £45,000 a week, is Leeds’ sixth-highest paid player.
After moving from Brentford to Elland Road in August 2015, the 32-year-old was instrumental in Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites’ 2020 promotion to the Premier League.
But Dallas has been having a really tough time lately, and he hasn’t played since April 2022 because of a terrible leg injury.
Dallas is unquestionably worth every penny of his salary when healthy, but because of his protracted absence, he comes in fifth on this ranking.
At £50,000 a week and £2,600,000 annually, Ames is joint-fourth highest paid player for Leeds.
The winger has struggled at Elland Road since joining from Manchester United in August 2021 for a reported £25 million; he was loaned to Fulham for the previous campaign.
Now that he is back in West Yorkshire, James has been a consistent player this season, contributing respectably both in goals and assists.
Although the Welshman still needs to prove his worth in the Championship, he has already proven this season that he is a valuable asset.
Arriving at £3,640,000 a year and earning an estimated £70,000 a week, Bamford is Leeds’ joint highest paid player.
After moving from Middlesbrough to the Whites in 2018, the striker was instrumental in the team’s 2020 promotion to the Premier League and went on to score 17 goals in their first season back in the top division, earning him a call-up to the England side.
Bamford, who has been hampered by injuries, has, nevertheless, had difficulty reproducing that form in recent years. He missed the season opener due to a hamstring injury.
Now that he is fully recovered, the 30-year-old will be looking to make an impression. He is undoubtedly capable of scoring a lot of goals at the championship level.
Struijk earns £2,600,000 annually, making him the fifth-highest paid player for Leeds. He receives £50,000 every week.
The defender, who joined the team from Ajax in 2018, has been a vital member of the squad this season. He has started every league game thus far and has often worn the captain’s armband.
This summer, Club Brugge of Belgium reportedly made an attempt to sign Struijk. However, Farke is rumoured to have pushed the team to cling onto the 24-year-old, whose skill with the ball has proved essential in applying the German’s style of play.
Struijk has emerged as one of the Whites’ most important players, despite perhaps going unnoticed while he was in West Yorkshire.
Rutter makes £3,640,000 a year and £70,000 a week, making him one of Leeds’ equal highest paid players.
After moving from Hoffenheim to the Whites in January for a reported £36 million, the striker became the club’s record signing, but he was ineffective in the Premier League.
Although Rutter’s return of two goals and three assists in 11 appearances is respectable, he has occasionally been wasteful in front of goal. Rutter has impressed for Leeds in the Championship thus far this season, and his speed and power make him a major threat.
At Elland Road, the 21-year-old is becoming a fan favourite and starting to live up to his expensive price and big salary.
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