adminLeeds United will step away from Premier League duties as they head to London to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup on Wednesday evening.
The Whites were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion in the top flight on Saturday and must now turn their attention to this cup encounter before returning to league action against Newcastle United next weekend.
This League Cup fixture gives Daniel Farke an opportunity to introduce some of the players who have not seen much Premier League action so far.
It could also give supporters their first chance to watch deadline-day signing Jean-Matteo Bahoya in a Leeds shirt after he remained an unused substitute at Brighton.
Where Jean-Matteo Bahoya could fit in at Leeds
Arriving on a season-long loan from Eintracht Frankfurt on deadline day, it will be intriguing to see exactly where Farke believes he can contribute to his plans for the 2026/27 campaign.
Bahoya’s preferred position is on the left flank, where he likes to cut inside onto his right foot, although he has also operated through the centre and on the right during his senior career.
Of his 37 appearances for Frankfurt across all competitions in the 2025/26 campaign, 26 came on the left wing, suggesting that could be his strongest position for the Whites in the Premier League this season.
The 21-year-old forward, who registered four goals and four assists for the German club last term, was unable to get onto the pitch for Leeds against Brighton, despite the side scoring just once from five ‘big chances’ and recording 2.49 xG.
Wednesday night’s meeting with Chelsea could therefore give the Frenchman the perfect platform to demonstrate to his manager that he possesses the ability to capitalise on the attacking chances created by the team.
Who should make way for Bohoya?
Naturally, someone from the starting XI that featured against Brighton will need to drop out if Bahoya is to be handed his Leeds debut.
Noah Okafor, who attracted interest from Sunderland on deadline day, started alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin as part of the front two on Saturday, and he should be the player left out against Chelsea.
The Switzerland international has endured an underwhelming beginning to the campaign in the attacking areas for the West Yorkshire club, registering no goals or assists in four appearances across all competitions.
Since joining from AC Milan for £18m last year, the 26-year-old forward has resembled Farke’s latest version of Georginio Rutter, both in encouraging and frustrating ways.
During his spell at Elland Road, Rutter became known for being frustratingly brilliant, possessing the ability to produce moments of outstanding quality while occasionally lacking consistency and end product.
Based on his first 13 months or so with Leeds, Okafor falls into a similar bracket to the Frenchman, having produced some impressive displays for the club without yet establishing real consistency.
His limited creative output, in particular, has been concerning, with the winger registering just one assist in 31 Premier League appearances for the Whites.
Okafor’s record of eight goals from 5.26 xG, however, indicates that he was effective when opportunities came his way, although he has been unable to carry that finishing form into the current campaign.
His frustrating, Rutter-esque, start to the season is why he should be relegated to the substitutes’ bench for the cup meeting with Chelsea, allowing Bahoya to come into the starting XI.
While the Frenchman has not yet demonstrated the same level of regular goal production as the Swiss attacker, he did provide four assists and create six ‘big chances’ in the Bundesliga during the 2025/26 campaign.
That suggests the Frankfurt loanee could provide Leeds with a greater creative threat from the left side if Farke opts to hand him his debut on Wednesday night.
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