Leif Davis

Leif Davis (born 31 December 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Leeds United as a left back. He can also play as a centre back.

Leif Davis
Personal information
Full name Leif Davis[1]
Date of birth (1999-12-31) 31 December 1999
Place of birth Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Left back, centre back
Club information
Current team
 Leeds United
Number 24
Youth career
2015–2016 Wallsend Boys Club
2016–2018 Morecambe
2018 Leeds United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Leeds United 9 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:57, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

Career

Early career

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he started his career at English youth football club Wallsend Boys Club in Newcastle.

On 27 June 2016, Davis joined Morecambe where he would come through the ranks of the academy.[3]

Leeds United

On 4 July 2018, Davis joined EFL Championship side Leeds United under head coach Marcelo Bielsa for an undisclosed fee, where he initially linked up with the Leeds academy.[4]

After impressing for Leeds' Under 23s,[5] Davis was promoted to the first team and was named as an unused substitute on several occasions by head coach Bielsa before making his debut for the club on 23 December 2018, when he started in a 3–2 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park after Barry Douglas fell ill before kickoff.[6]

With Davis potentially set for a spell in the side, after injuries to left backs Barry Douglas and Gjanni Alioski, Davis himself was ruled out for the remainder of the season including Leeds' playoff campaign after knee surgery.[7][8]

Davis was regularly named as an unused substitute on the bench for the first team squad in the Championship, but still featured regularly for Carlos Corberán's Leeds United under 23s side over the course the 2018–19 season,[9] that won the PDL Northern League 2018–19 season and became the national Professional Development League champions by beating Birmingham City in the final.[10]

After the English professional football season was paused in March 2020 due to Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on association football, the season was resumed during June, where Davis earned promotion with Leeds to the Premier League and also become the EFL Championship Champions for the 2019–20 season in July after the successful resumption of the season.[11]

His first start of the 2020–21 season came on 16 September 2020 in Leeds' 1–1 draw against Hull City in the EFL Cup. Hull went on to win 9–8 on penalties.[12] Davis made his Premier League debut for Leeds, as a second half Substitute in Leeds' 1-1 draw with Manchester City on 3 October 2020.[13]

Style of play

Davis predominantly plays as a left back. He was converted by Carlos Corberán to also play as a centre back.[14] Davis describes his style as a "a modern-day, attacking left-back".[15][16]

Career statistics
As of match played 10 January 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Leeds United 2018–19[17] Championship 401000—50
2019–20[18] Championship 300020—50
2020–21[19] Premier League 2010100040
Career total 90203000140

References
  1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Leeds United" (PDF). English Football League. p. 36. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  2. "Leif Davis". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. "Leeds United sign 18-year-old full-back Leif Davis from Morecambe". Talk Sport. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  4. "WHITES CAPTURE LEIF DAVIS – Leeds United". Leeds United. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  5. "Leif Davis selection is another blow for teammate". HITC. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  6. "Aston Villa 2 Leeds United 3". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  7. "Leeds defender Leif Davis undergoes operation". HITC. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  8. "Leeds United 2–4 Derby County (Derby win 4–3 on agg)". BBC Sport. 15 May 2019.
  9. "'True leader' – Leeds under-23 captain Hugo Diaz impresses the fans once again". The Boot Room. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  10. "Carlos Corberan on what the future can hold for Leeds United's PDL champions". YEP. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  11. "Championship: Leeds United promoted to Premier League after 16-year absence". BBC Sport. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  12. "Leeds 1 Hull City 1". BBC Sport. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  13. McNulty, Phil (3 October 2020). "Leeds United 1–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  14. "LEIF DAVIS: IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE". Leeds United. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  15. "Leif Davis in profile: What can Leeds United expect from the promising defender they have snapped up for the U23s?". Leeds Live. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  16. "Who is this promising teenager that Leeds have signed? The future star under Bielsa?". Soccer Souls. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  17. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  18. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  19. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
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