5 former Leeds players who are currently thriving away from Elland Road
Leeds United have plenty of alumni playing for other clubs and a handful of them are currently living their best lives since leaving the club.
As Daniel Farke’s squad chase an instant return to the Premier League, several of their former players are also enjoying fine seasons elsewhere.
We’ve picked out five former Leeds players that are currently loving life after moving away from Elland Road.
Jack Clarke
Anyone who watched Clarke’s early breakthrough performances in the 2018-19 campaign will tell you that Leeds had a special talent on their hands.
But the failure to win promotion in Marcelo Bielsa’s first season meant the midfielder was sold to Tottenham for £10million, where Clarke struggled for opportunities.
The 23-year-old is now tearing it up at Sunderland, helping the sleeping giants reach the Championship play-offs in 2023 and leading a young team by example.
“You could say there’s a bit of a reliance on Jack,” Sunderland boss Michael Beale said after Clarke scored his 11th goal of the season at Hull on Boxing Day.
“But any team in the Championship would have a reliance on him as he’s such a good player and we make allowances for him to do what he does”
A string of Premier League clubs are thought to be interested in Clarke’s services in January.
Jack Clarke proving he’s the best dribbler in the Championship.
This assist for Sunderland’s 2nd 👏👏#SAFC #PNEFC
pic.twitter.com/Xam3T1PXcb— The Second Tier (@secondtierpod) January 1, 2024
Rodrigo
The statement signing of Leeds’ post-promotion £100million splurge in 2020, Rodrigo arrived from Valencia as Spain’s No.9 with Champions League experience under his belt.
For a long time, the striker struggled to live up to that billing but few could question his commitment to the cause or work-rate as he played through injury and scored 13 Premier League goals in 2022-23.
Now playing for Qatari side Al Rayyan, the 32-year-old has knocked in four goals in nine appearances. Not bad going at all.
Lewis Cook
Cook rose through the England youth ranks, representing England at six different age levels before making his senior debut just before the 2018 World Cup.
The Leeds United academy graduate also won the Under-17 Euros in 2014 and Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and was named the Football League’s Young Player of the Year back in 2015-16.
Now in his eighth season with Bournemouth, Cook is enjoying a better-than-decent club career and has played his role in the club’s recovery from a dodgy start to 2023-24.
Many feel the midfielder would’ve been an England regular if it wasn’t for multiple ACL ruptures.
Niall Huggins
Huggins’ only opportunity at Leeds came as a substitute as Bielsa’s injury-ravaged Leeds suffered a 4-2 defeat to Arsenal in February 2021.
The full-back is now a team-mate of Clarke’s at Sunderland and has become a first team fixture this season. His belter against Watford in October deserves your repeated viewing.
What. A. Goal 🤯
Sunderland's Niall Huggins won't score many better than this! pic.twitter.com/aPRuJABvEv
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 4, 2023
Charlie Taylor
Like so many others during Leeds’ 16-year spell outside the top flight, Taylor took the short way round to Premier League football by joining Burnley following the expiration of his contract in 2017.
He’s proven himself over the course of almost 150 Premier League appearances for the Clarets and Taylor scored a screamer during Burnley’s 5-0 win over Sheffield United in December.
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