Leeds United central midfielder Ilya Guluev has started 11 consecutive Premier League games, the highest ever for a start this season.
The Bulgarian international has been given the opportunity to secure a place in Daniel Farke’s side following an injury to Sean Longstaff, who is now back and available for selection.
The former Newcastle United star has not started a game for Los Blancos since the 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa in November before his injury, but he had been in good form up until that point.
Longstaff has created six ‘big chances’ and registered two assists in his 10 Premier League starts, and following Guluev’s recent performances, he may get another chance to show off his quality from the start.
Why should Ilya Guluev be removed from Leeds?
The Bulgarian star showed glimpses of his quality when he started for Leeds and provided two assists in the 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest last month.
Unfortunately, the former Werder Bremen midfielder has struggled in his last two matches against Manchester City and Aston Villa, losing 11 of his 15 ground matches and all four of his aerial contests, while committing six fouls.
The 25-year-old star failed to create a single chance for his team-mates in those two games, meaning he was ineffective both in and out of possession for Farke’s side.
Longstaff, meanwhile, has won 53% of his Premier League duels and created an average of 1.3 chances per game since his arrival from the Magpies, suggesting he could be able to return to the team and consistently provide more quality than Guluev.
But the Championship title-winner is not the only Leeds midfielder in an awkward position, and there is another player who should never start again.
Leeds players who should never start again
The step up to the Premier League always means some players will be left behind as the quality improves from the second tier, and unfortunately that has been the case for a few star players.
Aoi Tanaka, for example, signed for just £3 million in the title-winning 2024/25 season and became a star player for the club, starting 37 of their 43 Championship appearances, but has struggled to make the step up to the Premier League.
As journalist James Marshment said, “Declan Rice is a big fan of Ao Tanaka.” The Arsenal superstar said:
”There’s a man in LeedsHe’s an incredible player. I always watch the Champs and Leeds are a huge club. It’s good to have them back. He’s their player of the season, a really good player, really energetic, really good with the ball. ”
Unfortunately, the central midfielder was unable to carry over the level of performance that had earned him such high praise from manager Rice at the top level, making just seven league starts as a result.
In fact, Tanaka has not started a game for the club in the Premier League since the start of the year, and has not appeared in the last five games.
Tanaka’s last 10 PL appearances | |
|---|---|
game | minutes |
Man City (H) | 0 |
Aston Villa (A) | 0 |
Chelsea (A) | 0 |
Forest (H) | 0 |
Arsenal (H) | 0 |
Everton (A) | twenty four |
Fulham (H) | 9 |
Newcastle (A) | 1 |
Man United (H) | 10 |
Liverpool (A) | 1 |
Farke believes the 27-year-old midfielder is next to Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach, Guluev and Sean Longstaff in the central midfield position, leaving him well down the pecking order.
Tanaka had his best moments in December, scoring against Liverpool and Chelsea, but his overall play in the Premier League has not been at a level that would suggest he should be a regular starter.
The Japanese star lost 57% of his ground duels and 53% of his aerial duels in 20 league games, indicating it was far too easy for opponents to defeat him in physical contests. Meanwhile, Guluev won 50% of his ground battles and recorded 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game.
Tanaka’s lack of physicality in the center of the park means he is not a good fit for a team that is in a relegation battle and often plays with the ball to keep the opposition at bay.
He has fewer offers than Guluev, largely due to his struggles off the ball, and given how many players in the squad are waiting to earn a starting spot, he should not start the next Premier League game between now and the end of the season.
A lack of playing time means he may need to assess his future at Elland Road when the summer transfer window opens.
Falke will have to drop the Leeds star, who had fewer touches than Darlow vs Man City.
The Leeds star struggled in the 1-0 home defeat to Man City.
