Ethan Ampadu has been praised by one of his Leeds United teammates, having impressed in the heart of midfield since joining the club.
Daniel Farke wasted no time in making Ethan Ampadu the first signing of his time at Leeds, bringing the midfielder to the club in July 2023.
Ampadu has gone on to establish himself as a key part of the Leeds squad since then, taking on the captain’s armband and featuring regularly both in midfield and in defence.
The former Chelsea midfielder is currently in camp with the Wales squad and earned the praise of his international coach Craig Bellamy, who said Ampadu is “beyond impressive”.
Now, that praise has been echoed by Ampadu’s Leeds teammate Karl Darlow, who explained why Ampadu is so important to the Whites.
Leeds United teammate praises Ethan Ampadu
Speaking in the press conference ahead of Wales’ game against England, Darlow praised Ampadu’s influence at Leeds since he joined the club.
According to Darlow, Ampadu has never been fazed by the prospect of captaining such a big club and helps to set the standards both on and off the field.
Darlow said: “I just think he’s a fantastic person. Like I say, he’s such a young lad, really, and he’s been given this responsibility to lead Leeds, which is a huge football club, and he’s just taken it into his stride.
“I can’t speak highly enough of him for what he does day in, day out. And then obviously his performances on the pitch. Yeah, he’s brilliant.
“We’re really close. We get on really well. So yeah, he’s someone that I admire. The way he trains day in, day out and his professionalism.
“And the way he’s almost handled the pressure that’s put on him of captaincy, and you wouldn’t know any different to how he was before that.”
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Stats highlight the importance of Ethan Ampadu to Daniel Farke
Ampadu was impressive in Leeds’ opening game of the season against Everton before he picked up an injury in the second half, which ruled him out of the games against Arsenal and Newcastle.
However, he has reprised his key role in the Leeds midfield since returning to full fitness and picked up exactly where he left off, particularly impressing during the win over Wolves.
Ethan Ampadu’s 25/26 Premier League stats:
- Games Played: 5
- Accurate Passes: 246
- Accurate Long Balls: 13
- Pass Accuracy: 86%
- Duels Won: 23
- Tackles: 12
- Interceptions: 6
According to the stats from FotMob, Ampadu has the third-highest average match rating among the Leeds squad at 7.02, behind only Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach.
Ampadu also makes the second-most accurate passes per 90 behind Pascal Struijk, playing a key role in Leeds’ build-up play.
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