£25m-rated duo once sold by Leeds are now Championship stars

Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville has enjoyed an impressive season down the left flank for the club with his fantastic attacking performances.

The Dutch whiz has racked up 15 goals and eight assists in 35 Championship appearances for the Whites during the 2023/24 campaign, but he has not had a consistent partner at left-back.

Junior Firpo – 11 starts – and Sam Byram – 19 starts – have operated in the full-back position behind Summerville at different points throughout the season.

Former Leeds sporting director Victor Orta once fumbled the chance for Leeds to have an electric left-hand side as Jack Clarke and Leif Davis, who were both academy graduates under Marcelo Bielsa, have become Championship stars since moving on from Elland Road.

How much Leeds sold Davis and Clarke for

In the Spanish chief’s defence, the Whites did rake in a fee of £8.5m from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur for the English winger in 2019.

That came after the teenager had produced two goals and two assists in 22 regular season Championship appearances for Leeds during the 2018/19 campaign.

The club did not earn as much from their sale of Davis, however, as the left-back signed for Ipswich Town in League One in the summer of 2022 for a reported fee of more than £1m.

He came up through the ranks at Elland Road but only played 14 times for the first-team under Bielsa, along with 15 appearances for Bournemouth on loan during the 2021/22 campaign, before being sold to the Tractor Boys.

How much Davis and Clarke are now worth

During the recent January transfer window, it was reported that Sunderland – Clarke’s current club having left Tottenham in the summer of 2023 – rejected an offer from Serie A side Lazio and demanded a fee of at least €25m (£21m) for the flying winger.

This shows that the forward, who has racked up 15 goals and four assists in 33 Championship outings for the Black Cats, has significantly improved his value since Leeds brought in £8.5m for his services.

Meanwhile, FootballTransfers has placed Davis’ current Expected Transfer Value at €5.2m (£4.4m), amid reports that West Ham United and Newcastle United are both keeping tabs on his performances, which makes him and Clarke a £25m-rated duo at this moment in time.

The 24-year-old left-back has been in terrific form for Ipswich, whom Leeds are competing with to secure automatic promotion, with one goal and 14 assists in 34 Championship matches.

Davis has more assists than any other player in the division – despite playing at full-back – and only three players – Sammie Szmodics, Morgan Whittaker, and Adam Armstrong – have scored more goals than Clarke’s 15.

These statistics show that both players have been outstanding operators at the top end of the pitch in their respective positions in the division.

Clarke and Davis, therefore, could have formed an electric partnership down the left flank with their qualities as scorers and creators of goals at left-wing and left-back respectively, had they remained in Yorkshire instead of being sold by Orta.

They are both, as aforementioned, now worth more than they were sold for – £25m combined compared to £9.5m+ received – by the ex-Leeds sporting director, who fumbled hard by allowing them both to leave before they developed further to establish themselves as stars for the club.