Leeds United's 'game-breaking' secret exposed as strong summer transfer interest expected in 17-goal man

The Tottenham Hotspur man is closing in on double figures for both goals and assists at Elland Road this season, requiring two goals and one assist from Leeds' remaining four matches to record a rarely-achieved double-double.

Solomon is back amongst the goals lately, scoring and assisting in the win over Preston North End last weekend, days after providing for Dan James in what proved to be the only goal of the game as Leeds overcame Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

United are on course for promotion back to the top flight and that will be in no small part thanks to the Spurs loanee's contributions.

In Solomon, Leeds have a player operating at a level greater than the average Championship winger. His 17 goal contributions is surpassed by only a handful of players, many of whom have played a considerably greater portion of minutes, whilst only Portsmouth's Josh Murphy (19) has created more 'big chances' than Solomon (17).

Statistically speaking, a 'big chance' is a shot with an Expected Goals (xG) value of 0.30 or greater, which means the Israeli international is getting into good positions time and time again to lay chances on a plate for teammates.

That is apparent in a number of the assists Solomon has provided this season, bursting clear of the defensive line and sliding a pass across into the path of an onrushing teammate. More often than not that has been Dan James, Joel Piroe or Brenden Aaronson and they have needed no second invitation to sweep the ball into the net.

The aspect of Solomon's game which is most impressive is his explosiveness in the left-hand channel, either just outside or just inside the penalty area. At the corner of the 18-yard box is where Solomon most consistently presents as a threat; his strike against Preston last Saturday perhaps the best example.

Not only is Solomon dangerous from this position as a shooter, he has delivered several high-value balls to the back post - many of which will likely be characterised 'big chances' due to the proximity to goal where the ball eventually lands, invariably at the feet of a teammate.

But, it's not only as a deep crosser that Solomon is a creative threat from this small but influential area of the pitch. If teams have sussed the 25-year-old's intention to hit the far post with a looping ball, doubling up and closing him down, the left-winger can still pick a pass infield, finding a teammate where there is comparatively less pressure, as he did for Ao Tanaka's first Leeds goal at the beginning of the calendar year.

A key reason for Solomon's ability to cross so frequently into dangerous areas or have a go himself from the left-hand half-space is that aforementioned explosiveness. The ex-Fulham man is quick off the mark and his top speed can't be far off Dan James'.

Moreover, the Spurs loanee has been successful with 62 of his 114 attempted take-ons this season.

To the uninitiated, a 54 per cent success rate when dribbling past opponents may not seem noteworthy, until a few things are taken into account. Firstly, only four players across the entire division have recorded more successful take-ons, proving Solomon's ability, meanwhile there are only 11 players who have attempted more take-ons; all of whom with less than a 50 per cent success rate.

Typically, an increased number of dribbles sees a player's success rate tumble over time - unless you're Manor Solomon.

In fact, of the 37 players to have completed 35-or-more successful take-ons this season, only two have done so whilst maintaining a success rate above 50 per cent. One is Solomon while the other is Cardiff City's Rubin Colwill who has been successful with 50.4 per cent of his attempts and is more of a bustling, big-bodied midfield player, completing his take-ons in less dangerous areas of the pitch.

The Leeds loanee is unique in that his diminutive figure should make him easier to dispossess but among the division's take-on leaders, Solomon is by far the most difficult to tackle, conceding possession only 39 times. For comparison, the division's most prolific dribbler Borja Sainz has been dispossessed on 103 occasions, while the rest of the select group who lay claim to more successful take-ons than Solomon have also been tackled significantly more often.

It is therefore no exaggeration to suggest Solomon is the Championship's best dribbler and what's more, has end product to compound the effectiveness of these runs.

As observed in the above annotations, when Solomon cuts onto his right foot at the corner of the penalty area, teams' defensive setups are often very similar with two men between the Leeds winger and the goal, and another stood infield to cut off passing lanes. In theory, this prevents most right-footed left-wingers from picking their spot or finding a teammate - unless you're Manor Solomon.

Data: FBRef.com