Leeds United supporters should never forget £200k star's impact at Elland Road: View | OneFootball

Luke Ayling's Leeds United career was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride.

From promotion to relegation, ecstasy to despair, Ayling will go down in Leeds folklore as one of the undisputed cult heroes of the West Yorkshire club.

The Early Days

Ayling began his Leeds career in 2016, signing for a fee of £200k from fellow Championship rivals Bristol City.

After 268 appearances for the Whites, the Englishman quickly established himself as a staple in the Whites' defence.

The signing of Ayling came from a recommendation by former Arsenal teammate Kyle Bartley, who texted Garry Monk regarding the purchase of Ayling.

The rest is history.

Just two short days after signing for the Whites, Ayling was forced to make his Leeds United debut when right back Gaetano Berardi was forced off with an injury, meaning the new signing had make an impression in front of over 27,000 of Elland Road's faithful.

It's fair to say that he did exactly this, so much so that he went on to play a part in the next 34 games of the season, helping Leeds back up to seventh, having placed 13th and 15th in previous years.

Ayling's defensive prowess was prominent throughout the reigns of both Paul Heckingbottom and Garry Monk, but the full back just could not find the back of the net, which, whilst it is not necessarily an expectation for a defender, will always boost the confidence of any who do score.

The Bielsa Effect

Now a staple in the Leeds United defence, the full back was becoming more and more comfortable playing with his feet, and when Marcelo Bielsa took over The Whites - it took just three league games for Ayling to score his first league goal - despite not having scored for nearly two years under Paul Heckingbottom and Monk.

The anticipation grew after the ball hit the back of the net, as there was a debate about whether it went over the line. Goal-line technology had its say and the goal was given.

Bielsa Ball was in full flow and so was Ayling.

It is fair to say that the 2018/19 Championship season was an eventful one for The Whites, with "SpyGate" making national news, as Bielsa chose to "send a spy" to watch the Derby County players train at Moor Farm, which was heavily criticised and bought the club a huge fine of £200,000.

Bielsa paid off the fine out of his own pocket. Ayling played a key part in the team that so narrowly missed out on promotion, with the Englishman accumulating 8 goal contributions in 38 games.

With March 2020 bringing lockdown and COVID restrictions to full force - the 2019/20 season was one to remember for all the wrong reasons for many.

However, the silver lining for the Leeds United faithful was that this season meant an end to The Whites' sixteen-year absence from the top flight of English football.

Ayling once again played a huge part in the team, managing 8 goal contributions in 37 Championship games, and by this point was already a fan favourite among the Elland Road faithful.

Leeds United ended up winning the league, finishing 10 points above second place West Bromwich Albion.

Figure 1 shows the effect that Bielsa (took over for 2018/19 season) had on Ayling's attacking prowess (data acquired from FBREF).

Upon promotion to the top flight, The Whites found themselves finishing 9th, after a phenomenal inaugural season in the Premier League.

Bielsa's side managed to find the back of the net 62 times, more than both Chelsea and Arsenal that season.

Whilst there was certainly work to be done at the back for Leeds, there was no doubt that Ayling was, once again, a key member of the back four, and played a role in all 38 of Leeds' Premier League games that season.

Whilst his Leeds United career may have ended in despair, with a lacklustre season leading to relegation in the 2022/23 season.

Those close to the club will always look back on Ayling's time at the club with fondness, especially seeing how key the full back was to gaining and maintaining their Premier League status in the seasons leading up to their relegation.

Ayling now embarks on a new era at Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick, but his time at Leeds United will never be forgotten and the Whites will struggle to spend £200k in better fashion again.