Things could hardly be going better for Garry Monk’s Leeds right now, and they’ve got their new man at the back to thank for their increasing solidity.
Pontus Jansson, not to mention his magic hat, once again earned the plaudits as Leeds United stretched their winning run to three in the Championship with Saturday’s thrilling topsy-turvy triumph over Norwich.
Ronaldo Vieira’s 91st minute winner was enough to propel Gary Monk’s side into the fourth and final play-off position, thought it was the iron-headed, brick-nutting Jansson that laid the foundations for a second win over The Canaries in the space of two weeks following their equally-dramatic penalty shootout victory in the EFL Cup.
The Swedish centre-half headed home Leeds’ first while marshalling an increasingly sturdy backline with typical resolve, adding further weight to the claims that he is the club’s finest defender since the legendary Lucas Radebe.
Therefore, if you asked any Leeds fan to name their signing of the season, you probably wouldn’t get too much variety in the responses despite the excellence of Kyle Bartley and Pablo Hernandez.
Yet, while Jansson hogs the headlines, one summer signing continues to slip under the radar.
When Leeds completed the signing of Luke Ayling from Bristol City in the summer, they knew what they were getting. A versatile, steady defender of proven, lower league quality. A far cry from Giuseppe Bellusci.
And the 25-year-old has started all but one of Leeds’ 16 Championship fixtures so far this season and has gone about his business in typically reliable fashion. Of the club’s regular starters, no one has made more tackles per game this season, while only Eunan O’Kane has made more blocks, according to WhoScored.
He may have only managed one assist this season, setting up Chris Wood for Leeds’ second at Carrow Road on Saturday, but there is more to Ayling’s game than driving runs and attacking intent.
The 25-year-old was included in the latest EFL Team of the Week, suggesting that his performances are finally starting to warrant praise outside of Elland Road.
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