Leeds United

Ao Tanaka

A midfielder who arrives in the box at exactly the moment a defender has stopped watching him, timing late runs from deep better than most attackers manage from a standing start. He rarely misses a match, one of the first names on the team sheet.
Japan Leeds United MID
Appearances
5
Goals
0

Season Snapshot

Minutes played
329
65.80 per match
Assists
1
Key passes
0
Pass accuracy
89%

Season Stats

Appearances
5
Minutes played
329
Goals
0
Assists
1
Key passes
0
Accuracy
89%

League Rankings

Among Premier League 2026/27 midfielders

Assists
34th of 38
Key passes
100th of 100
Pass accuracy
70th of 114
Goals
40th of 40
🟨 Most Cards #29 of 173
😈 The Bad Boys #71 of 347
💪 Workhorses #129 of 293
👻 Ghost Players #132 of 293
🎯 Pass Masters #151 of 432
👑 Assist Kings #232 of 290
img Premier League
LEE
LEE
14:00
Sun 18 Oct
MUN
MUN
img Premier League
SUN
SUN
16:30
Sun 25 Oct
LEE
LEE
img Premier League
BOU
BOU
15:00
Sat 31 Oct
LEE
LEE
img Premier League
LEE
LEE
12:30
Sat 7 Nov
TOT
TOT
img Premier League
CHE
CHE
15:00
Sat 21 Nov
LEE
LEE

Ao Tanaka, The Midfielder Who Arrives Late

Tanaka ghosts into the box from deep positions, turning a central midfield role into a genuine goal scoring threat.

Tanaka's runs from midfield are timed so well that defenders picking up a striker often forget he is arriving from behind until it is too late to react. He does the defensive side of the job too, covering ground to win the ball back before pushing forward again, which is why he plays so many minutes without ever looking like a passenger. That reliability has made him close to undroppable regardless of who else is fit.

The interesting question with a goal scoring midfielder is where his priorities sit, whether Leeds want him further forward chasing those late runs or holding a deeper, more disciplined position instead. Push him higher and the goals likely increase, but midfield loses some defensive solidity in the process. Which version of Tanaka the manager picks depends on how the team is set up.

The Rest Of The Squad

28 players

Goalkeepers

1
James Trafford
Manchester City · Age 24
6 apps
21
Alex Cairns
Age 33
0 apps
49
Darryl Ombang
Age 21
0 apps
16
Michael Zetterer
Age 31
0 apps
48
Rory Mahady
Scunthorpe United · Age 20
0 apps

Defenders

4
Ethan Ampadu
Age 26
6 apps
24
James Justin
Age 28
6 apps 1g 1a
2
Jayden Bogle
Age 26
6 apps 1g
5
Tarik Muharemovic
Bosnia and Herzegovina · Age 23
6 apps 1a
30
Nico Elvedi
Switzerland · Age 30
5 apps
3
Gabriel Gudmundsson
Sweden · Age 27
4 apps 1a
15
Jaka Bijol
Age 27
4 apps
6
Joe Rodon
Age 28
2 apps
26
Melvin Bard
Age 25
1 app
65
Jayden Lienou
Age 18
0 apps

Midfielders

18
Anton Stach
Age 27
6 apps 1g
11
Brenden Aaronson
USA · Age 25
6 apps
7
Daniel James
Age 28
3 apps
8
Sean Longstaff
Age 28
2 apps
50
Alfie Cresswell
Age 19
0 apps
72
Callum Mills
Age 18
0 apps
44
Ilia Gruev
Age 26
0 apps
47
Rhys Chadwick
Age 19
0 apps

Forwards

9
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Age 29
6 apps 3g 1a
19
Noah Okafor
Switzerland · Age 26
6 apps 1g
10
Harry Wilson
Fulham · Age 29
5 apps
14
Lukas Nmecha
Age 27
5 apps 1a
23
Jean-Mattéo Bahoya
Age 21
2 apps
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