He’s in the same bracket as Kylian Mbappe, and Leeds’ £18m bargain stole the show vs Tottenham

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Leeds United narrowly lost out to Tottenham on Saturday lunchtime despite the efforts of one player.

Goals from Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus fired Spurs up to second in the Premier League table, rendering Noah Okafor’s strike a mere consolation.

Daniel Farke’s side delivered an impressive, battling display at Elland Road and showed once again that they have more than enough quality to stave off relegation.

They strengthened their squad by adding 10 players during the summer, but one signing has stood out above them all after a red-hot start to life in Yorkshire.

Noah Okafor was impressive against Tottenham

Leeds United swooped to bring in striker Noah Okafor from AC Milan for a fee of around £18million.

The tricky 25-year-old penned a four-year deal and became Farke’s ninth arrival, fulfilling his dream to play in the Premier League.

He had struggled to find his feet during his spell in Italy, despite catching the eye at Basel and Red Bull Salzburg, and his move to the Whites represented a badly needed fresh start.

At his best, Okafor is a wing wizard and a strong carrier of the ball. That ability was on show for all to see against Spurs, and he was alert to the danger to score Leeds’ equaliser.

There are signs he has already formed a good understanding with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, playing just off the target man while staying high and wide on the left.

His price tag currently looks like a real snip, but he must now prove he can be consistent at the top level.

Noah Okafor rubbing shoulders with Kylian Mbappe

Incredibly, Okafor has been competing with Kylian Mbappe in one metric this season. Per Squawka on X, formerly Twitter, Okafor was seventh in the top five leagues for the most take-ons completed in September, with 10 to his name.

Real Madrid superstar Mbappe chalked up five more, placing him alongside Spurs playmaker Mohammed Kudus, while Girona’s Azzedine Ounahi topped the list with 16.

Okafor’s achievement is all the more impressive considering he hasn’t played as many minutes as others in the same category, and he hopes to earn regular game time at Leeds.

“For me, it’s the most important thing to play, to play every game,” he told The Athletic.

“Then I can get on my top, develop each thing I have to improve, for what I do good. Every player wants to play. I need to get my confidence and in this team, I can find that.

“Also, for example, with this coach, he gives me this feeling to get my confidence back again.”