When Leeds United completed a deal worth around £3 million towards the end of the transfer window, the Elland Road newbie left his old employers in a pretty strong position.
Because, while Daniel Farke’s Leeds kicked off 2024/25 with only two wins in their first five Championship matches, Fortuna Dusseldorf had accumulated seven points from nine when Ao Tanaka crossed the Channel from Germany to England.
But while the Yorkshire giants have kicked on since then – Leeds United thrashed Oxford United 4-0 at Elland Road on Saturday to ensure they will be second at Christmas – the same certainly cannot be said of the club where Tanaka made his name.
Fortuna Dusseldorf won two games out of three with Ao Tanaka in the heart of their midfield in August. In the 12 Bundesliga.2 matches since the Japan international’s departure, they have triumphed in only five.
And Klaus Allofs, Fortuna’s sporting director, accepts that the loss of Tanaka – as well as Christos Tzolis and Yannik Engelhardt – goes some way to explaining why they have slipped to eighth place in Germany’s second tier.
Fortuna Dusseldorf still missing Ao Tanaka after Leeds United move
“We were aware, but the public perhaps didn’t really know, who we actually had in our ranks,” Allofs tells the Rheinische Post. “How important guys like Tzolis, Engelhardt and Tanaka were in terms of our stability.
“It wasn’t that spectacular at times, especially with Ao. But he had an incredibly large presence and [with him in the midfield] we played very balanced. The team, or other players, can’t currently match that form.
“We did very well for a while during the first half of the season and thought that we could compensate for the departures quite well. But, unfortunately, that didn’t continue.
Tzolis, once of Norwich City, is playing Champions League football with Club Brugge these days. Engelhardt is a regular in the Como XI, honing his talents under one of the finest midfield technicians of the modern era as Cesc Fabregas cuts his tactical teeth in Serie A.
Simon Grayson labels Japan star Tanaka ‘a massive influence’
In West Yorkshire, meanwhile, Ao Tanaka can claim to be Leeds’ most influential signings in recent memory. While he may be more solid than spectacular – as Allofs himself alludes to – the 26-year-old brings physicality, excellent ball-winning statistics, and the sort of piercing passes required against Championship opposition who tend to sit deep and restrict the space for Leeds’ ever-dangerous frontmen.
Tanaka ran the show as Leeds beat Derby County 2-0 earlier this month, leaving former Whites boss Simon Grayson singing his praises.
“So impressed with Tanaka,” Grayson told LUTV. “Since he’s come to the club, he’s looked a top top player.
“He keeps it simple, keeps it moving. He fills in the gaps, he does the side of the game that not a lot of people will feel is his key strength. Understands the game so well, reads it so well. A massive influence.”
A genuine, all-round midfielder, Tanaka ranks in the top five at Leeds United for tackles won, interceptions made, average passes per game, and pass completion.
