Leeds United reporter Conor McGilligan was left shocked by Junior Firpo’s yellow card record this season as the Whites close in on unwanted Premier League history.
The Lowdown: Two away
Jesse Marsch’s side are in a real relegation battle heading into the final five games of the season. They picked up what could prove to be a valuable point away to Crystal Palace on Monday evening, leaving them five points clear of Everton and three clear of Burnley.
[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-42/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]
Dan James and Diego Llorente both received yellow cards at Selhurst Park in the 0-0 draw, taking Leeds’ total in the Premier League this season to 93.
As per LUFCDATA, the Whites are now just two away from setting a new Premier League record for the most bookings by a club in a single season, which is currently held by Sunderland (94) set in 2014/15.
The Latest: McGilligan reacts
LUFCDATA broke down the 92 bookings in the Leeds squad on Twitter, with Firpo, who has only just returned from injury, topping the list with nine.
Leeds Live’s McGilligan couldn’t quite believe the numbers, labelling what he’s just seen as ‘quite remarkable’. This is because, as the reporter points out, the left-back has actually only made 19 Premier League appearances, just 15 of which have been starts.
Supporters agreed, lambasting the Spaniard as a ‘terrible signing’ in response to McGilligan’s post.
The Verdict: A season to forget for Firpo and Leeds
Firpo hasn’t had the impact he would have been hoping for after joining from Barcelona in the summer, making it a season to forget on both an individual and team level.
He returned to the bench on Monday after missing four games due to injury, with Stuart Dallas keeping his place at left-back.
Only Kalvin Phillips ranks higher than the Spaniard when it comes to fouls committed per 90, as per WhoScored, while Firpo also ranks near the bottom for blocks made, suggesting his defensive aggressiveness is not paying off in the ways that actually matter.
Hopefully, Leeds will remain in the top flight over the coming weeks and Firpo can put his first year in Yorkshire behind him ahead of a more positive injury-free season in 2022/23, where we may get to see the best of the 25-year-old.
In other news: Radz and 49ers will now reward Marsch if he keeps Leeds up by moving for 29-goal forward.
