It almost became something of a tradition during the Marcelo Bielsa era at Elland Road.
Leeds United cruising to another comfortable win, and on comes Leif Davis for the final few moments; Bielsa furnishing one of the club’s most promising youngsters with the odd taste of first-team football.
“Davis is a great player. Full of future and skill,” Bielsa said back in 2019 of the then-teenage left-back.
“(Gianni) Alioski, (Barry) Douglas and (Stuart) Dallas are playing (ahead of him). Maybe for this reason, he is not in the starting XI. But all his tendencies are good.
“In my opinion, Davis was far from the first-team in our first year. After, he worked a lot in the team, with brilliant willing. A lot of effort, dedication. He gives everything.”
As always, under Bielsa, opportunities are not given but earned. It was Davis’ attitude, as much as his ability, that earned him a role in Leeds’ 2020 Championship-winning campaign.
There became a time, however, when the odd cameo appearance off the bench was no longer enough to satisfy a player who departed for a loan spell at Bournemouth in 2021 before cutting ties permanently during the summer of 2022.
Leeds United sold Leif Davis to Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town paid £1.5 million to secure the now-23-year-old Davis. Most third-tier clubs could only dream of signing a player for a seven-figure sum from a Premier League club and Davis, during a highly-impressive debut season at Portman Road, is proving to be excellent value for money.
Automatic promotion may be beyond Kieran McKenna’s side – an eight point gap between themselves and second-place – but results like Saturday’s serve to keep those hopes alive. Ipswich hammered bottom-of-the-table Forest Green Rovers 4-0 in East Anglia. And, not for the first time, it was their all-action left-back who set the tone.
Only two players in League One have more assists than Davis this term; the Newcastle-born wideman taking his tally to eight with a typically pinpoint delivery converted in style by Conor Chaplin. In fact, Davis averaging a goal or an assist every three games for Ipswich. Not bad for a so-called ‘defender’ starting games week-in, week-out for the very first time.
“It’s been really nice to see him progress through the season,” beams Ipswich team-mate Greg Leigh (Suffolk News). “He’s done so well and now he is racking up more and more assists.”
Two more, in fact, and Davis will hit the magic number ten.
A graduate of the fabled Wallsend Boys Club, Ipswich’s number three was, per Transfermarkt, the most expensive signing made by any League One club last summer. Fortunately, he’s also up there with the best.
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