Ao Tanaka turned out to be the surprise – and indeed, the signing – of the season for Leeds United after a stunning campaign following his bargain £3.4m arrival at Elland Road.
Bought on deadline day from German second-tier side Fortuna Dusseldorf, there was measured optimism among the fanbase. This was a Japan international, but had only ever played club football at a lesser level.
Japan’s J-League, with boyhood club Kawasaki Frontale and then Dusseldorf in Germany, unable to ever win promotion to the top tier. A move to Leeds would be a big leap for Tanaka, not that it ever showed.
Farke admitted he had tried to sign Tanaka 12 months earlier, and the Leeds manager has nicknamed Ao ‘Tiger Tanaka’ after James Bond’s You Only Live Twice. Now, Tanaka has been speaking to Japanese media.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesAo Tanaka shares details of chat he had with Daniel Farke
The Japanese midfielder was named in the Championship Team of the Season following his stunning 24-25 season. But it was not until January that the midfielder actually opened his account for The Whites.
Tanaka tells Japanese outlet Hochi.News of how he was called into Farke’s office before his first goal and ordered to play defensively in midfield – but after his long-range strike against Hull, that all changed.
“I was only called into the manager’s office once during the season. In the middle of the season, when I started to be put in man-to-man defence , he would say, ‘Let’s do this, I want you to do this.’
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
“He basically told me to stay stable in the middle as an anchor, manage the risks, keep the ball and play. I almost never went into the (opponent’s penalty) area. Personally I wanted to score some goals.
MORE LEEDS UNITED STORIES
“After I scored, he kept telling me to score more goals. We get divided into rondos and shooting practice. Basically, the last line, fullbacks, and Ilia Gruev also do rondos, but I was the only one who always shot.
“Even if I was the anchor, I was always shooting practice. If I missed, he’d be like, ‘You missed again!’ He was the only one who was nagging me (laughs). In that sense, it was good that I scored five goals.”
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty ImagesWith Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka can start getting forward
Ilia Gruev is a reliable option. But the Bulgarian is unable to dictate a midfield in the way skipper Ethan Ampadu can and with Jaka Bijol now expected to sign, it lessens Ampadu’s responsibility at centre-back.
If Ampadu can play regularly in midfield next season – avoid injury, and avoid having to play alongside Joe Rodon at centre-back – then it will give Tanaka more freedom to join in the attack and score goals.
Unlocking Tanaka and giving him freedom will be an underrated, subtle change that Leeds need next season in their bid to avoid relegation. Whether Farke will allow him to do that, remains to be seen.