Leeds’ most valuable player won’t start under Farke again

While West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur continue to anxiously fight it out near the foot of the Premier League, Leeds United looks comfortable in securing its own survival destiny.

Indeed, it was another polished and confident display at Elland Road on Friday night from Daniel Farke’s troops, as an assured 3-1 victory was clinched against an already relegated Burnley outfit.

Up to ten league wins now for the season, with a weighty 43 points next to their name – which is a tally that has never resulted in a team being relegated in a 38-game campaign – Farke and Co. can breathe a little easier about their chances of slipping straight back down to the EFL.

Much of that breathing room can be credited to Noah Okafor’s rampant form…

Okafor continues breakout form for Leeds

It’s not set in stone, but if Okafor keeps up the superb performances he has been consistently delivering, Leeds will hope to pick up another excellent three points on their May travels to Spurs, to consolidate even more.

Indeed, Okafor now has an electric four goals and one assist across his last five Premier League games, with the Swiss livewire hitting his richest vein of form for the West Yorkshire side, at the best possible time.

He would score Leeds’ crucial second strike of the night against the Clarets, after a returning Anton Stach got the ball rolling, with the one-time AC Milan forward smashing home a volley past a helpless Martin Dubravka, to finish off a sumptuous attacking move.

Alongside bagging this goal at a pivotal point in the contest, Okafor would also amass two key passes, and win two tackles and duels as a real handful for the visitors from Lancashire to thwart.

When Leeds look back on how huge contests were won, when the Premier League campaign is wrapped up, they’ll thank their lucky stars that they splashed out £18m on landing Okafor, as he has seriously come into his own wearing the number 19 shirt.

The 25-year-old’s breakout moment in the spotlight at Elland Road does mean Leeds’ most expensive asset has continued to rot away on the substitutes bench, however…

Leeds’ most valuable asset might not start for Farke again

Alongside Okafor’s signing going down a treat, Dominic Calvert-Lewin continues to look like a very shrewd free transfer pick-up, as the ex-Everton marksman killed the contest with his 12th Premier League goal of the season.

Additionally, Jaka Bijol was a rock in the heart of the home side’s defence, again, with his £19m price tag, when sealing his services from Udinese, now more than justified.

Unfortunately, though, all this new blood coming in and instantly hitting the ground running has left some of the old guard feeling out of place at Elland Road, with Wilfried Gnonto in danger of retreating even more into the background, due to Okafor’s goal-laden patch of form.

Indeed, the tricky Italian was once viewed as an essential talent in West Yorkshire, when the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter graced the turf, with 17 goals scored across his last two seasons in the Championship.

Now, he’s a mere bystander a lot of the time watching on, with only four Premier League starts next to his name this campaign, as he was only gifted a slender one minute of action against Burnley, even with the game becoming a dead rubber.

This hasn’t hindered his valuation too much, however, with Football Transfers still generously valuing the ex-FC Zurich attacker as Leeds’ most expensive asset – excluding loanee Facundo Buonanotte – at the £22.5m mark.

With Okafor a clear first-teamer now, with the Swiss sensation on eight Premier League goals from 28 appearances, next to Gnonto’s flat two Premier League goals from 44 games, the time might just be right for a severing of the ties, especially if Leeds can get a healthy sum of money out of the Italian’s sale.

He has been tipped to leave, too, with Everton even reportedly keen.

It would be a sad ending to Gnonto’s Leeds career, which started with so much promise, but a new hero is being born now under Farke, as Okafor’s crucial goals potentially keep the Whites afloat in the Premier League for another season.