Ethan Ampadu: Leeds United’s Composed Conductor
For me, the jury was out when we brought in Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea. We’d just dropped back down to the Premier League, but it was a ‘new era’ having also recruited Daniel Farke as manager.
Signing ‘Amps’ for £7 million turned out arguably to be the German manager’s best decision with the player having a key influence on the team. Despite becoming one of our key cogs, he didn’t actually score for us until 7 January 2024, though he bagged a brace in our 3-0 3rd Round FA Cup win over Peterborough.
In July 2024 – one year after joining, Amapadu was promoted to club captain and helped to lead us back to the Premier League as a Championship title-winning skipper.
📝 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘: Leeds have signed Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea.
💰 £7m fee + add-ons. ⚪️
✍️ Four-year deal. 🏴 pic.twitter.com/UBjZ2QJXPN— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 19, 2023
His exploits in the open-top bus parade/title celebration around the city, said it all for me. It showed that he was Leeds through and through and his relationship with the fans was infectious.
When we signed him, there seemed to be a bit of indecision about where he was going to play. Capable at either as a centre-back or sitting midfielder (in a two or a three), Ampadu actually excelled in both positions. I think his two seasons on-loan in Italy, with first Venezia and then Spezia (prior to joining us) probably did him the world of good. He came up against some of the best attackers in the world which I think in retrospect, experiencing relegation with Venezia and helping to keep Spezia in Serie A in a relegation scrap as they finished in 17th place.
His time in Italy definitely made sure he was ‘head and shoulders’ above nearly every other defensive player in the Championship with what he clearly learned about handling and defending against top players.
Great Attributes Displayed For Leeds United
During his first two seasons at the club, the Wales international has consistently been one of Leeds best players and – indeed, proved to be one of the strongest in his position in the Championship.
It has meant that he often rotated between centre-back and central midfield, indeed, so developed on-field relationships, very comfortably with different partners, including Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk (in defence) and Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka (midfield).
| Defensive Statistic | 2023/24 – 46 (+3) appearances | 2024/25 – 29 appearances | Total (Leeds United) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes Played | ~4140 | ~2285 | ~6425 |
| Tackles (Per 90) | ~2.05 | 1.85 | ~1.97 |
| Interceptions (Per 90) | ~1.10 | 0.98 | ~1.05 |
| Blocks (Per 90) | ~1.05 | 1.02 | ~1.04 |
| Clearances (Per 90) | ~3.20 | 3.47 | ~3.30 |
| Aerial Duels Won (Per 90) | ~2.25 | 2.4 | ~2.30 |
| Tackle Success Rate | ~68% | ~67% | ~67.5 |
| Errors Leading To Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Clean Sheets | 18 in 49 apps | 18 in 29 apps | 36 in 78 apps |
Calm and composed on the ball with a decent passing range, able to read the game, dictate play in certain areas and strong in the tackle, I thought Ampadu turned out to be a great signing – arguably a bargain for us.
His passion spoke volumes for me and he earned his role as captain, leading by example both on and off the pitch.