As Leeds United prepare to welcome Crystal Palace to Elland Road this Sunday, manager Daniel Farke has addressed the burning question on every fan’s lips: when will deadline-day signing Jean-Mattéo Bahoya finally make his mark on the Premier League?
The Whites enter Sunday’s fixture looking to build upon their impressive start to the campaign, coming off a strong run of form while their opponents look to recover from three defeats in their opening four matches. Although Crystal Palace enjoyed a morale-boosting 4-0 thrashing of Polish side Lech Poznań in Europa League action on Thursday night, Farke dismissed any notion that his side can afford to take a potentially fatigued opponent lightly.
”Good for their confidence, played a flawless game,” Farke remarked on Palace’s midweek outing. “Relatively easy game for them, not much travelling. Don’t think there was any distraction, just good for confidence. We expect a difficult opponent.”
The Careful Integration of Jean-Mattéo Bahoya
While team news indicates Leeds have largely avoided fresh fitness concerns—with Joe Rodon the sole confirmed absentee and minor worries over Gabriel Gudmundsson dismissed as mere cramp—all eyes remain fixed on Bahoya.
The 21-year-old French winger arrived at Elland Road on loan with an obligation to buy worth around £20 million plus add-ons, capping off a busy summer transfer window as Leeds’ seventh and final acquisition. Having racked up five goals and seven assists across 59 Bundesliga appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt, expectations are naturally high.
However, Farke was refreshingly candid about why the young talent has yet to feature prominently, revealing just how close Bahoya came to debuting during the League Cup defeat to Chelsea.
“Very close, in Chelsea five seconds away from coming on,” Farke revealed, before diving into the mental and physical demands placed on young players transitioning into the English top flight. “Came from the bench at the end of last season. Have to look after them, make sure they’re well prepared when I throw them into Premier League. It’s unforgivable.
“A poor performance on debut and they can be buried. Have to make sure they’re ready. Jean Matteo is a top character, not the highest confidence or physical fitness level to start, but you can see him grow day to day on the training pitch. All chances to be involved.”
Searing Pace and Tactical Flexibility
Physical readiness is clearly the primary hurdle in Farke’s mind, because when it comes to raw speed, Bahoya is already elite. During the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, the youngster shattered the German top flight’s sprint speed record by clocking an astonishing 23.09mph—a figure comparable to Usain Bolt’s average speed during his legendary 100m world record runs. With only a handful of players in Premier League history ever clocked faster, his athletic ceiling is undeniable.
Though primarily deployed on the left wing throughout his career, Bahoya’s versatility across attacking midfield and wide roles offers Farke valuable tactical flexibility as he integrates him into the squad.
Looking Ahead to the International Break
With an extended international break looming immediately after Sunday’s match, Farke is already plotting how to utilize the three-week pause productively. While the squad will be granted recovery time, the manager emphasized that hard work behind closed doors will continue.
This upcoming window could prove to be the perfect developmental runway for players like Bahoya, giving the coaching staff crucial uninterrupted training ground hours to get the record-breaking speedster fully up to speed for a sustained run in the first team. Whether he features against Crystal Palace or after the break, Bahoya’s journey at Elland Road is only just beginning.
