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Leeds must pat themselves on the back for tying down this 19-year-old dynamo to fresh terms

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Why Leeds United have struck gold with a new deal for Leif Davis

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United have secured the future of teenage defender Leif Davis with a new long-term deal, with the youngster putting pen to paper on fresh terms at Elland Road until the summer of 2023. 

The 19-year-old, who burst on to the scene in West Yorkshire in the previous campaign, has been described by manager Marcelo Bielsa as a ‘ bright young player with a big future ahead of him’, while Leeds teammate Luke Ayling has labelled him as a ‘machine’ for his rapid development. 

Born in Newcastle, Davis started his footballing education at Wallsend Boys Club, a famous institution in the north-east of England that is best known for producing former greats Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and ex-Leeds star Michael Bridges. 

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Leif Davis has played a number of cameos since his first-team debut for Leeds United back in December last year (Getty Images)

The youngster caught the eye of League Two outfit Morecambe with his prodigious talent and vast potential and despite only playing for the club’s reserves, Davis did enough to warrant a move to Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds United in the summer of 2018.

The 19-year-old’s strong performances for Carlos Corberan’s U23 side paved the way for a first-team call-up in the previous campaign and Bielsa named him in the matchday squads on several occasions before eventually handing him his senior professional bow as a starter in Leeds’ 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in December last year. 

Leif Davis has gone from strength to strength ever since, finishing the 2018-19 campaign with as many as five first-team appearances and also drawing admiring glances from reigning European champions Liverpool in the summer. (h/t Sun)

The talented teenager, who was also a part of the U23 side that won the Professional Development League North last season, has already impressed with a number of cameos for the Championship promotion-hopefuls this term. 

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The 19-year-old is held in high regard by manager Marcelo Bielsa (Getty Images)

Having come off the bench in the Whites’ 3-1 victory over Bristol City on the opening day of the Championship, Davis started and played the full ninety minutes in the EFL Cup fixtures against Salford City and Stoke City. 

The 19-year-old has also been afforded a couple of cameos in recent league victories over QPR and Blackburn Rovers and he certainly looks good enough for a lot more first-team action this season after managing to hold his own in front of more experienced and accomplished players. 

To put things into perspective, Leif Davis is currently one of the hottest emerging prospects in the Championship and it is not difficult to see why Leeds United have, indeed, struck gold with a new long-term contract for him. 

The 19-year-old has already attracted interest from the Premier League clubs and the new deal should go a long way towards helping the Whites shield their prized asset from further top-flight interest.

Davis’ development at Elland Road has been really impressive and that he is already rubbing shoulders with the big boys is indicative of the fact that he is already ahead of his development schedule. 

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Leif Davis while signing for Leeds from Morecambe in 2018 (Getty Images)

Verdict

Under the stewardship of manager Bielsa and Sporting Director Victor Orta, Leeds have put a lot of emphasis on their youth recruitment drive over the past twelve months.

Highly-rated youngsters like Mateusz Bogusz, Ryan Edmondson, Kun Temenuzhkov and several others have been roped in from the lower divisions, as well as from foreign leagues, to supplement the academy with more quality. 

The Whites lost hot prospects Aapo Halme and Jack Clarke in the summer and that is another reason why a new deal for Leif Davis is likely to sound music to the ears of the club faithful, who will be hoping for the 19-year-old to have a big impact in the coming years.

Leif Davis has penned a new deal with Leeds United (Pic: Getty)
Credits: Getty Images

Leeds recently offered long-terms deals to U23 stars Pascal Struijk, Bryce Hosannah and Temenuzhkov for their impressive progress.

Davis has now become the latest to join first-team mainstays Mateusz Klich, Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Stuart Dallas in putting pen to paper on fresh terms. 

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All in all, Leif Davis has a big future ahead of him and a new deal makes perfect sense for a number of reasons.