Ipswich Town are one of the most talked about clubs in English football right now after an impressive League One season that saw them promoted to the Championship.

Kieran McKenna’s men could not have asked for a better start to life in the Championship, winning 2/2 games and sitting at the top of the table with four goals scored and one conceded so far. Ipswich play an attractive brand of football that is not quite common in the lower divisions of English football.

It was deemed the football that Ipswich played last season in League One was too good for the division, and it was only a matter of time before McKenna manages in the top flight of English football.

One player who was absolutely vital to McKenna’s style is Leif Davis. During the Cherries ‘ promotion campaign, the 22-year-old left-wing-back was signed from Leeds United in the summer of last year after a loan spell at Bournemouth in the Championship.

The visualisation below shows where Davis ranked for some of the key metrics during 22/23 when compared with the other left wing-backs in League One and other similar leagues, including Spain’s third and Portugal’s.

Leif Davis had an impressive first season under McKenna and was an essential cog in the wheel offensively and defensively for Ipswich Town. Davis finished the season with 14 assists – more than any other player in League One.

The 22-year-old also added three goals to his name. Ranked 97th percentile for touches in the opposition penalty area, Davis takes a high volume of shots and almost often plays like a left-sided winger. This shows that Leif Davis is one of the most attacking fullbacks in League One and all English football.

His crossing ability is also one to watch out for as he attempted 3.86 crosses per 90 minutes with a decent success rate of 40% and average to above-average for that metric.

McKenna’s team always like to have the ball and break the opposition lines through quick interchange of passes. Leif Davis is a crucial member in the second phase of build-up to this style and is not afraid to volunteer and receive a pass.

Defensively, his numbers look decent, but there is definitely room for improvement. He can be more aggressive on his 1v1 duels, and his positioning also needs to be improved in his overall defensive game.

Overall, Leif Davis was one of the brightest sparks to get promoted to the Championship this season. If Ipswich are to continue their hot streak, they will rely heavily on Leif Davis to replicate his numbers from League One last season.