Leeds United and Leicester City meeting brings clash of Championship's agent-sharing 'big two'

The Tractor Boys currently separate Leicester from Leeds in the second tier table after a scintillating start that in almost any other season would put them top. Only the near-flawless form of the Foxes has kept Ipswich from leading the league and at present there is simply no argument over who the division's best two sides are. Leicester have won 13 of 14 and Ipswich have 11 victories from their 13 outings, creating 14 and nine-point respective cushions between themselves and third-placed Leeds.

But when it comes to the performances of individuals then there is similarly scant debate over the identity of the division's two leading lights. Statistical sites Whoscored.com and Sofascore both agree that the number one performer right now is one Kiernan Frank Dewsbury-Hall, with Crysencio Jilbert Sylverio Cirro Summerville breathing down his neck in second place. At Whoscored, Leicester City's Dewsbury-Hall has earned a rating of 7.79 out of 10 and Sofascore rate him a little higher at 7.92. For Leeds star Summerville it has been a 7.75 out of 10 season on Whoscored and 7.88 on Sofascore. A third data specialist, Fotmob, rates the Leicester and Leeds standouts at 8.15 and 7.85 respectively, with the pair's Grand Slam of top two placings spoiled by pesky former Whites youngster Jack Clarke and his 7.87. Clarke, once a Bielsa favourite, is putting together a pretty solid case of his own when it comes to the Championship's most outstanding player and has already racked up an incredible nine goals to go with the single assist he contributed in Sunderland's 3-1 win over Norwich City.

End product is a huge part of why Dewsbury-Hall and Summerville find themselves with such high ratings because in terms of measurable game-changing impact there is little better to judge creative players on than goals and assists. And the fact that eight of Whoscored's current top 10 are all forward-thinking players suggests end product might be having a pretty big, if not slightly disproportionate say, in the ranking of Championship players but the inclusion of four defenders in both Sofascore and FotMob's latest top 10s is reassurance, if it was needed, that Dewsbury-Hall and Summerville deserve their high rankings.

Leeds fans need not be told that Summerville is now a player of huge influence. His six goals and four assists from 11 appearances, are proof enough of that even before his very visible work-rate and defence-terrifying pace are taken into account. His quick feet take him to loose balls that defenders might otherwise fancy themselves to clear. Getting onto the ball in such a fashion creates panic and danger and then he has the ability to do something good with it, playing lightning quick one-twos or simply backing up an opponent just enough to be able to shoot. Summerville does that a lot. Only two players in the division are hitting the target more frequently per 90 minutes and each of those can only boast a superiority of 0.1 shots.

Summerville, best described as a direct player who likes to progress straight towards goal as quickly as possible, was at his brutal best against Huddersfield in the first half, scoring twice and adding a pair of assists. Had it not been for a chance from close range that he spurned, the Monday birthday boy would have gone off at half-time with the sport's unicorn under his arm - a 10 out of 10 rating.

Daniel Farke will hope for more of the same against Leicester, albeit in the knowledge that performance levels will need to be elevated in order to overcome the league leaders. The Foxes are, plainly, a different animal altogether than the Terriers. Summerville will be hoping for more of the same too because what makes great players great is the desire to be the very best on the pitch and whether or not he and Dewsbury-Hall come into much, if any, close contact there will still be a duel going on and each man will be very aware of that. Their jostling at the top of statistical rankings is not only an area of interest for social media account managers. Attacking players, whether they will admit it or not, often track where they are in relation to their peers and these two, who share an agent, are sharing enough divisional headlines to be fully informed on each other's progress and they will both crop up in the potential threat section of team meetings at both training grounds this week.

So far Leicester's star man has scored one goal fewer than Summerville but added two assists more, admittedly having been on the pitch for almost 400 minutes more than Leeds' flying Dutchman thanks to the injury niggles Summerville has had to contend with. Comparisons are tricky beasts at the best of times and stacking up a central midfielder's numbers next to those of a winger who often plays in more of a 10 position holds some level of unfairness. What is fair to say, however, is that both men have the potential to leave their individual mark on Friday night's game in a decisive way.

Dewsbury-Hall told The Athletic earlier this season he feels he's 'made' to be a Talisman. Summerville has been exactly that for Leeds. There are others, on both sides, who can and will have a big say in how the game goes but it will be no surprise if the Championship's big two are front and centre when the big moments arrive.