Leeds United transfer choice tears up club’s natural order and underlines Farke’s high standards

Luke Ayling  always anticipated a strong challenge for his right-back berth at Leeds United from Cody Drameh yet it will be Djed Spence in a roll of the dice from Daniel Farke

Ten more appearances for Luke Ayling and he will go beyond Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas as the dressing room leader for games played at Leeds United. With the captain and Northern Ireland international currently unavailable, the right-back may fancy his chances of sneaking beyond their 266 club appearances over the coming weeks.

Does he sneak ahead while they are both on the sidelines though? Last night’s trip to Salford City was the first time Daniel Farke has omitted Ayling from a competitive line-up, but while the vice-captain was watching on from the bench, the squeeze was being applied 34 miles away at Elland Road.

Ever since Cody Drameh showed his quality on loan at Cardiff City in 2022, it felt as though his succession at right-back was a case of when rather than if. The Luton Town spell last term only compounded that theory, especially as Leeds slipped into the second tier, Drameh’s domain.

Ayling knew the score when everyone reported for the start of pre-season. The 32-year-old has been around the block long enough to know the script as a changing of the guard nears, he was in Drameh’s shoes when he ventured to Yeovil Town from Arsenal in search of opportunities.

The pressure would come on this year, Ayling would have known that, but in starting the season at 31, he’s a long way from being past it and backed himself to keep the former Fulham man at arm’s reach. Except, it’s going to be a different right-back formerly of Craven Cottage.

Right-back was one of the few departments in the Leeds squad which looked like it did not need any surgery this summer. With Ayling and Drameh, Farke would have the present and the future locked down with proven second-tier talent.

And yet, we found Leeds looking at two of England’s best under-21 right-backs in recent years. Max Aarons had completed a medical in West Yorkshire before abandoning Leeds for the Premier League, while Djed Spence followed up in close order as another show-stopping signing.

If the writing wasn’t on the wall for Drameh as Aarons travelled north, Spence’s arrival makes it abundantly clear what Farke makes of the right-back department. With less than one year to run on his contract, this was supposed to be the year it finally clicked for Drameh, but it’s hard to see how he now gets the game time he needs to kick on.