Leeds United will hold extra Leif Davis regret if Ipswich Town seal £100m pot of gold: View | OneFootball

Leeds United and Ipswich Town both have a lot riding on their last four games of the season.

Both sides drew 0-0 midweek, which were unexpected setbacks in their bid for a top two spot.

The Whites had the chance to move up to second, at least temporarily, when they faced Sunderland at home on Tuesday night, a full 24 hours before Ipswich hosted Watford.

But it was a disappointing result for Daniel Farke’s side against very beatable opposition, with the Black Cats winning just one in 10 going into their trip to Elland Road.

Ipswich also missed a huge chance to open a gap to Leeds against the Hornets, who themselves have very little left to play for this season, as they struggled to a home draw as well.

Leeds’ financial superiority to Ipswich

If Leeds miss out on a top two spot to Ipswich it will really come as a bitter pill for supporters to swallow.

The Yorkshire outfit revealed their accounts for the 2022-23 campaign earlier this week, which really highlighted how wasteful the club has been with its resources.

Leeds were finally back in the Premier League, but suffered relegation after just three seasons due to poor management and transfer recruitment.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire highlighted three key figures that showcased how far below expectations the team performed last year.

The Whites had the 11th highest wage bill in the top flight, spent the fourth most amount on bringing in new players, and had the 10th most expensively assembled squad.

Yet they finished 19th, and had three different managers trying to avoid relegation to the Championship.

Meanwhile, their Suffolk rivals were on their way up from League One just 12 months ago.

Kieran McKenna deserves all the credit he has received for guiding the Tractor Boys back to relevancy, after a difficult few years in the third tier before his arrival.

But nothing sums up the difference between these two clubs better than the deal to sign Leif Davis in the summer of 2022.

Leeds facing Leif Davis regret

Ipswich agreed a deal worth just £1 million to sign the full-back nearly two years ago.

The 24-year-old came through the academy system at Leeds, but was unable to break into the first team squad.

He made nine league appearances during Marcelo Bielsa’s tenure, only one of which came as a start, before making the switch to Portman Road (all stats from Fbref).

But the Tractor Boys have been rewarded for giving him consistent first team experience, as he has taken the step up to the Championship in his stride, becoming one of the division's standout talents.

The defender now looks ready to compete in the Premier League, having contributed two goals and 16 assists in the second tier this season.

His chance creation has been crucial for McKenna's team, with an impressive 4.88 shot-creating actions per 90.

Given left-back has been a problem position for Farke’s squad so far this term, it will come as an extra blow to the club if they miss out on a top two spot to Ipswich.

It’s easy to imagine Leeds enjoying a much easier promotion battle in a world where Daivs remains at Elland Road instead of signing for their current rivals.

worth up to £100 million, that could prove a very costly £1 million mistake to make.