While acing the eye test, some very impressive statistics only back up Daniel Farke’s belief that one less-heralded member of the Leeds United squad deserves his moment in the sun.
And Farke was not the only Elland Road employee man taking on his old employers as Norwich City arrived in West Yorkshire on Wednesday night.
While the Leeds United boss will forever have a special place in the heart of those Carrow Road matchgoes – Farke led Norwich to promotion twice, after all – Sam Byram’s time in East Anglia will prove far less memorable.
The versatile full-back managed fewer than 50 league appearances during four injury-hit years as a Norwich player.
So much so that, when Leeds offered Byram a route back home in 2023, there were serious concerns about how much he could really contribute after missing nearly 130 games since his first spell at Elland Road came to an end seven years earlier.
Flash forward to early 2025, however, and no one is questioning Byram’s contribution these days.
Daniel Farke pays Sam Byram tribute as Leeds United beat Norwich City
The former West Ham and Nottingham Forest man has missed just seven games since returning to Yorkshire. He featured for a ninth straight Championship match, meanwhile, as Leeds cruised past Norwich to leapfrog Sheffield United at the top of the table.
And while Byram’s performances speak for themselves – playing the best football of his career at the age of 31 – Farke is also keen to highlight a pretty remarkable statistic which he feels proves the defender’s importance to Leeds’ promotion charge.
Leeds have failed to win 11 out of 28 Championship games this season. Four of those have come without Byram on the pitch.
In his 13 starts, meanwhile, Leeds have picked up 33 points. That is a remarkable 2.5 points per game.
If Farke’s team were to keep up that record for an entire campaign, for what it’s worth, Leeds would finish the season with a record-breaking tally of 115.
“Sam Byram is doing a really decent job,” Farke said after Byram helped his teammates secure a 16th clean sheet of 2024/25 against Norwich. “I’m not sure how many games unbeaten he is.”
Let us be of assistance Daniel. The last time Leeds lost, with Byram on the pitch, was back in October as Burnley smashed and grabbed all three points.
“[In terms of] points per game, I’m pretty sure he is top of the Championship,” the German adds. “We have to give praise to him, how important he is to us. His experience, his defending at set-pieces…
“I’m pretty happy.”
Byram closes in on Gordon Strachan’s 32-year Leeds record
Sam Byram is on a personal run of 21 games unbeaten.
Should Leeds avoid defeat against Burnley, Cardiff City and Coventry in their next three outings, Byram will overtake the tally set by the legendary Gordon Strachan during the club’s First Division title-winning campaign under Howard Wilkinson back in 1992.
By his own admission, the sheer size of Byram’s impact has taken Daniel Farke aback somewhat. He joined on a free-transfer, after all, and was initially expected to be little more than a useful squad player.
“He’s delivering much more than I expected,” Farke said back in December after the hard-earned win away at Derby County. “We faced a side that are number one in terms of set-pieces, [and] we needed his defensive qualities. We needed Sam’s steel.
“He’s playing much more football than what we expected. Didn’t think he would be capable to do this. His behaviour is so professional and he works so hard on his recovery.
“We need his experience and maturity.”
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