I had the inside track on Ao Tanaka's £3.5m move to Leeds United - Daniel Farke deserves huge praise for his role

The agent of Ao Tanaka has heaped praise on Daniel Farke for his role in convincing the midfielder to join Leeds United.

Tanaka has been a revelation since leaving 2.Bundesliga side Fortuna Dusseldorf for Leeds in August following the agreement of a £3.5million deal, with the midfielder waiting patiently for his chance before grabbing it with both hands. Injuries to Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev mean the Japan international has operated in a slightly deeper role than usual, but there has been no issue whatsoever.

In fact, during his 11-game run in the starting line-up, Tanaka could stake a claim to have been Man of the Match in each and every one. The 26-year-old has done it all; sweeping up opposition counter-attacks, punching passes through the lines, letting off shots from distance and even fixing referee Sam Allison’s watch during Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Luton Town.

Those performances have raised the question as to why the Japan international was not picked up by a top-flight team, either in England or Germany. But Marijo Knez, Head of Germany at the CAA Base consulting agency and Tanaka’s agent, explained how the project sold to him by Leeds and Farke was more than good enough to convince him of swapping second-tier for second-tier.

“Leeds United explained the project very precisely to Ao Tanaka,” Knez told Fussball.News. “Daniel Farke showed him that he was the type of player Leeds needed. And Leeds, conversely, offers him an optimal platform for development. This is also shown by a look at the data.

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“I have to give Farke a lot of praise. He recognised exactly what abilities Ao has and how he needs to use them. That doesn’t mean that German clubs haven’t recognised this potential. But a move to a Bundesliga club didn’t work out for various reasons.”

The big question for Tanaka and every other Leeds player will be their ability to step it up another level. Promotion is the goal this season and those with plans to play at Elland Road long-term will need to find their feet quickly if indeed they do go up.

Tanaka’s only top-flight experience is in his native Japan and prior to joining Leeds, he had been in Germany’s second-tier for four years. But Knez has no doubts over his ability to play at the highest level.

“I assume so,” Knez responded when asked if Tanaka is capable of playing Premier League football. “He can be good for a possession team that wants to play neat football with his style. Many observers may soon be asking themselves why he is only playing in the second division. I’m firmly convinced that he can make it in the Premier League.”