Daniel Farke’s side defeated Swansea City 4-0 on Tuesday night, and it could have been much more. Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto received plaudits as Leeds won again.
But, once again, Ilia Gruev, 23, was exceptional in midfield. He completed 88 of 91 passes under challenging conditions, with the pitch bobbling and the ball bouncing around. Gruev has been fantastic.
It may seem cruel that Patrick Bamford earned Leeds’ January Player of the Month title, but it simply goes to demonstrate how well every Leeds player is performing. Defensively, we’re in the final third now.
Gruev is benefiting from Pascal Struijk’s injury, while Farke has moved Ethan Ampadu into the center of the park. Struijk is due to return in a month, so it will be intriguing to see if he rejoins the team.
On the What The EFL? podcast, analyst Adrian Clarke commented about Gruev, describing him as a “smooth operator” who “effortlessly” walks around the pitch and keeps things ticking for the Whites.
“The second player I particularly like on the Leeds team that no one talks about is Ilia Gruev from Bulgaria. He is class; he is a slick operator in the engine room. Clarke describes Gruev as someone who gets over the pitch, recovers possession with ease, and does so with the ball.
“He just moves the ball early and quickly, but with great quality, and rarely gives it away. He can dump passes over the top of defenders all day for wide receivers. Gruev is another excellent signing for Leeds United. Those in charge of the transfers deserve a lot of credit.
Gruev has been absolutely fantastic. Even more so because the midfielder has been forced to wait for a run in the side during the first half of the season, despite previously playing in the Bundesliga for Werder Bremen.
The midfielder has undoubtedly done enough to earn a starting berth from now until the end of the 23-24 season, not just because of his performance, but also because of his friendship with Glen Kamara. So far, everything has gone great.
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