Jayden Bogle was full of praise for another of Leeds United’s summer signings after the 3-0 win over Coventry City despite producing his best performance since his move to Elland Road.
Bogle has received a little bit of criticism since his move from Sheffield United but has now strung two excellent displays together after last weekend’s win at Cardiff City.
Against a side they failed to beat on either occasion last season, Leeds ran out comfortable winners over Coventry, with Bogle among those on the scoresheet as he netted his first for the club.
Wilfried Gnonto was Leeds’ best player on the day and it was him who opened the scoring with a fine finish from Junior Firpo’s inch-perfect cut-back.
After Bogle’s goal just a few minutes into the second half, Joel Piroe then netted his third of the season off the bench to round off an emphatic victory.
Bogle praises Ao Tanaka after first proper Leeds appearance
Bogle was one of eight new signings through the door at Elland Road during the summer, and it would be fair to say they have taken some time to settle.
Largie Ramazani made his mark on his full Leeds debut at Cardiff City, while Ethan Ampadu’s injury in the first half today opened the door for Ao Tanaka.
Tanaka has been limited to just brief cameos in his first three appearances for Leeds, but got his first real substantial amount of minutes against Coventry.
Leeds fans have been calling for Tanaka to be given more of an opportunity and despite having huge shoes to fill, the Japanese international produced a very composed display.
In an interview with BBC Radio Leeds post-match, Bogle was asked what Tanaka has been like to work with so far and had some very high praise for his performance.
He said: “He has been fantastic, on the ball, very intelligent footballer. He likes to get on it and play forward, and then defensively he understands his role as well. He was solid when he came on today.”
- READ MORE: Daniel Farke shares how Ethan Ampadu feels about his injury after Leeds win at Elland Road
What Daniel Farke made of Tanaka’s performance for Leeds
Given who he was replacing, Tanaka was not coming into the most ideal of circumstances in his first proper appearance for Leeds.
Despite being signed as a more advanced number eight, Tanaka actually took over the role of Ampadu, playing just in front of the back four.
Farke says it is a role Tanaka has played a few times and was happy with how he performed after coming on.
Via the Yorkshire Evening Post, he said: “He has played a few times in the last season the holding midfielder role for Dusseldorf, he is so composed on the ball.
“I was pretty happy with his awareness, he doesn’t have this natural defensive instinct but I am quite happy how he fulfilled this role. It’s important that you adapt to different scenarios.”
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