Whites fans have been given good reason to be excited about the club’s ongoing academy output, and there’s one trio in particular who they are keen to see in action once the new Championship season rolls around.
Leeds United boast a proud history of developing their own players, and when we asked supporters for their overall satisfaction with the youth and academy policy as part of our Big Forum, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Nearly three-quarters of supporters (71%) indicated that they are ‘very satisfied’, compared with just 4% who said they were ‘not very satisfied’. A quarter of fans had no particular feelings either way, which frankly is almost unheard of among football fans in this day and age. We’d be tempted to take ‘no real complaints’ as a tacit approval, but that’s just us.
As for which recent graduates are tickling your fancy…Archie Gray has been an intriguing prospect ever since Marcelo Bielsa included him on the bench for a couple of games midway through the 2021/22 season. Still just 17, he’s still very young to be playing regular Championship football, but despite being yet to make his senior debut, you’re tipping him to be the player to make the biggest impact: 29% of you selected him from the available options.
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A good 24% of you went for perhaps a more realistic option, selecting full-back Cody Drameh after his excellent form on loan at Luton Town in the second half of last season helped them to earn promotion to the Premier League. Former Manchester City midfielder Darko Gyabi – who arrived as part of the deal that took Kalvin Phillips the other way – is not far behind with 22%.
Leeds United Big Forum responses
How satisfied are you with the youth and academy policy?
- Very: 71%
- Neutral: 25%
- Not very: 4%
Which youngster will have the biggest impact next season?
- Gray: 29%
- Drameh: 24%
- Gyabi: 22%
- Joseph: 11%
- Perkins: 11%
- Hjelde: 4%
