Leeds United missed out on automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking after their 2-1 defeat to Southampton last weekend.
Their result was ultimately irrelevant, as Ipswich Town had won their game to seal second place, but it marked a damp end to the regular season.
The Whites finished in third place on 90 points after 46 matches of relentless second division action, and some supporters, and those behind the scenes at the club, may look back and wonder what went wrong to stop them from going up automatically.
Leeds only won one of their last six games, losing four of those, and if they had turned one of their losses into a win then they would have been promoted in second place, ahead of Ipswich on goal difference.
Daniel Farke could look back on his business during the January transfer window and wonder whether or not he made a mistake in loaning out Luke Ayling, who has gone on to be a fantastic operator for Middlesbrough during the second half of the campaign.
Luke Ayling's Leeds United career
Signed from Bristol City in the summer of 2016, the energetic right-back enjoyed a terrific career in the top two tiers with the Whites before his loan move to Boro earlier this year.
After two years as a regular in the side, with 69 league appearances, Marcelo Bielsa arrived at Leeds ahead of the 2018/19 campaign and the magical tactician got the best out of him.
Ayling produced six goals and 11 assists in 75 Championship games under the Argentine boss, having managed zero goals and four assists in the previous two seasons.
Appearances
37
Starts
35
Goals
4
Assists
4
Big chances created
8
Duel success rate
61%
Clean sheets
17
As you can see in the table above, the marauding defender chipped in with eight direct goal contributions and helped his team to keep 17 clean sheets as Leeds won the second tier title in the 2019/20 campaign.
Bielsa hailed the right-back as a "complete" player who can handle all "aspects" of the game, in and out of possession as a full-back or as a centre-back, and spoke of how "important" he was to the team in 2019, showing how much he loved the dynamo.
The former Yeovil star then racked up 93 appearances, four goals, and three assists, across three seasons in the Premier League for the Whites after their promotion in 2020.
Leeds were then relegated back down to the Championship at the end of last term, in the summer of 2023, and the defender, who was loved by Bielsa, had a chance to establish himself as a star in the second tier again.
However, Ayling was only handed eight league starts during the first half of the season with Leeds, after Farke arrived as the new manager last summer, and produced one goal and one assist in the division in those games.
That led to his temporary switch to Middlesbrough earlier this year, with the manager revealing that the player asked to move on due to his dwindling contract and lack of guaranteed minutes on the pitch.
Luke Ayling's form for Middlesbrough
The 32-year-old star has been in sublime form for Michael Carrick's side with his ability to bomb down the right flank to create chances for his teammates.
In 19 Championship appearances for Boro, Ayling has already racked up an eye-catching eight assists from a full-back position – one every 2.38 outings on average.
In those 19 games, the veteran ace has produced more assists than all bar two Leeds players have throughout the entire league season – Crysencio Summerville (nine) and Georginio Rutter (15) the only two with more.
Overall, with the one assist he managed for the Whites during the first half of the campaign, Ayling has as many assists as Summerville – who was crowned Championship Player of the Season – on nine each.
Sofascore rating
7.9
Tackles
1
Pass accuracy
93%
Key passes
4
Big chances created
1
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, Ayling enjoyed a fantastic performance on the final day of the season against Watford last weekend, as Middlesbrough missed out on the play-offs.
This means that the defender's campaign has ended with nine assists and six 'big chances' created in 27 league starts in the Championship for Leeds and Boro combined.
Ayling, who looks set to leave Elland Road when his contract expires this summer, once again showcased his ability to be a hugely creative force down the right flank, and Farke's side could have utilised his talents and experience during the run-in.
Why Leeds needed Luke Ayling
Leeds failed to win five of their last six games and they either failed to score or only scored once in four of the games that they did not pick up all three points in.
This suggests that they lacked quality in attack during the run-in and that ultimately cost them a place in the top two and means that they must now fight in the play-offs, starting with the clash against Norwich at Carrow Road on Sunday.
Farke could have done with Ayling's superb creativity at right-back, as Sam Byram and Archie Gray did not offer much in that respect, whilst Connor Roberts only made two starts.
Gray, who registered two assists in 44 matches, ranks within the bottom 40% of Championship full-backs for assists per 90 (0.05), and the bottom 17% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.03), which shows that he has not offered much high-quality chance creation.
Byram, on the other hand, also ranks within the bottom 40% of his positional peers for assists per 90 (0.05) with one in 33 games, whilst he also ranks within the top 43% for xAG per 90 (0.07).
Whereas, Ayling currently ranks within the top 2% of full-backs in the league for assists per 90 (0.34), and the top 8% for xAG per 90 (0.17).
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This suggests that Leeds fumbled a huge offensive weapon who could have used his creative quality and experience of getting out of the Championship, under Bielsa, to push the team over the line, which is why it was a mistake – with the benefit of hindsight – to let him go in January.
