Leif Davis

Leif Davis

Davis in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Leif Davis [1]
Date of birth	(1999-12-31) 31 December 1999 (age 24)
Place of birth	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.82 m) [2]
Position(s)	Left-back, centre-back
Team information
Current team	Ipswich Town
Number	3
Youth career
2015–2016	Wallsend Boys Club
2016–2018	Morecambe
2018	Leeds United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2022	Leeds United	9	(0)
2021–2022	→ AFC Bournemouth (loan)	12	(0)
2022–	Ipswich Town	101	(6)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:53, 8 December 2024 (UTC)

Leif Davis (born 31 December 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back or centre-back for Premier League club Ipswich Town.

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he spent time in the youth systems at Wallsend Boys Club and Morecambe before joining Leeds United in 2018. He helped Leeds win promotion to the Premier League in 2020. He spent a loan spell at AFC Bournemouth during the 2021–22 season, where he also won promotion to the Premier League. In 2022, he signed for Ipswich Town, helping Ipswich win promotion to the EFL Championship in his first season at the club, and an immediate subsequent promotion to the Premier League.

Club career

Early career

Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, he started his career at English youth football club Wallsend Boys Club in Wallsend, North Tyneside.

On 27 June 2016, Davis joined Morecambe where he would come through the ranks of the academy. ^[3]

Leeds United

On 4 July 2018, Davis joined EFL Championship side Leeds United under head coach Marcelo Bielsa for an undisclosed fee, where he initially linked up with the Leeds academy. ^[4]

After impressing for Leeds' Under 23s, ^[5] Davis was promoted to the first team and was named as an unused substitute on several occasions by head coach Bielsa before making his debut for the club on 23 December 2018, when he started in a 3–2 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park after Barry Douglas fell ill before kickoff. ^[6]

With Davis potentially set for a spell in the side, after injuries to left-backs Barry Douglas and Ezgjan Alioski, Davis himself was ruled out for the remainder of the season including Leeds' playoff campaign after knee surgery. ^{[7] [8]}

Davis was regularly named as an unused substitute on the bench for the first team squad in the Championship, but still featured regularly for Carlos Corberán's Leeds United under 23s side over the course the 2018–19 season, ^[9] that won the PDL Northern League 2018–19 season and became the national Professional Development League champions by beating Birmingham City in the final. ^[10]

After the English professional football season was paused in March 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19, the season was resumed during June, where Davis earned promotion with Leeds to the Premier League and also become the EFL Championship Champions for the 2019–20 season in July after the successful resumption of the season. ^[11]

His first start of the 2020–21 season came on 16 September 2020 in Leeds' 1–1 draw against Hull City in the EFL Cup. Hull went on to win 9–8 on penalties. ^[12] Davis made his Premier League debut for Leeds, as a second-half substitute in Leeds' 1–1 draw with Manchester City on 3 October 2020. ^[13]

On 27 July 2021, Davis joined Championship side AFC Bournemouth on a season-long loan deal. ^[14] He made his debut for the club coming on as a late sub in the Cherries 2–1 win over Nottingham Forest. ^[15] Davis then made his first start for Bournemouth in an unfamiliar right wing role, in a 0–2 away win at Birmingham City. ^[16]

Ipswich Town

Davis playing for Ipswich Town in 2024

On 25 July 2022, Davis joined Ipswich Town on a three-year contract for a seven-figure fee. ^{[17] [18] [19]} He made his debut five days later on the opening day of the 2022–23 season in a 1–1 draw against Bolton Wanderers at Portman Road. ^[20] He quickly established himself as the first choice left-back at Ipswich. He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 away defeat against Oxford United on 21 January 2023. ^[21] Davis was an integral member of the team during the 2022–23 season at Ipswich, making 46 appearances across all competitions, scoring 3 league goals and getting 14 league assists in total, and helping the club win promotion from League One following a second-placed league finish. ^[22] His form throughout the season earned him a place in both the League One Team of the Season ^[23] and the PFA League One Team of the Season. ^[24]

In the 2023–24 season, Davis contributed 14 assists again as Ipswich earned a second successive promotion to the Premier League as runners-up. ^[25] His performances throughout the season saw him included in the PFA Team of the Year and Championship Team of the Season as well as being named as Ipswich's Players' Player of the Year. ^{[25] [26] [27]} Davis scored his first Premier League goal for Ipswich in a 1–1 home draw on 2 November 2024 against Leicester City: a stunning 55th-minute volley which was cancelled out by Jordan Ayew in the 94th minute. ^[28]

Style of play

Davis predominantly plays as a left-back. He was converted by then Leeds Under 23 boss Carlos Corberán to also play as a centre-back. ^[29] Davis describes his style as a "a modern-day, attacking left-back". ^{[30] [31]} Davis is known for his crossing and ability to provide assists.^{[ citation needed ]}

Career statistics

As of match played on 8 December 2024

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	Division	League		FA Cup		EFL Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Leeds United	2018–19 [32]	Championship	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
	2019–20 [33]	Championship	3	0	0	0	2	0	—		5	0
	2020–21 [34]	Premier League	2	0	1	0	1	0	—		4	0
	Total		9	0	2	0	3	0	0	0	14	0
Leeds United U21	2020–21 [34]	—	—		—		—		2 [a]	0	2	0
AFC Bournemouth (loan)	2021–22 [35]	Championship	12	0	2	0	1	0	—		15	0
Ipswich Town	2022–23 [22]	League One	43	3	2	0	0	0	1 [a]	0	46	3
	2023–24 [36]	Championship	43	2	1	0	0	0	—		44	2
	2024–25 [37]	Premier League	15	1	0	0	0	0	—		15	1
	Total		101	6	3	0	0	0	1	0	105	6
Career total			122	6	7	0	4	0	3	0	136	6

1. Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy

Honours

Leeds United

• EFL Championship: 2019–20 ^[38]

AFC Bournemouth

• EFL Championship runner-up: 2021–22 ^[39]

Ipswich Town

• EFL Championship runner-up: 2023–24 ^[40]
• EFL League One runner-up: 2022–23 ^[41]

Individual

• EFL League One Team of the Season: 2022–23 ^[23]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2022–23 League One, ^[24] 2023–24 Championship ^[25]
• EFL Championship Team of the Season: 2023–24 ^[26]
• Ipswich Town Players' Player of the Year: 2023–24 ^[27]

References

1. "Notification of shirt numbers: Ipswich Town" (PDF). English Football League. p. 36. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
2. Leif Davis at Soccerway
3. "Leeds United sign 18-year-old full-back Leif Davis from Morecambe". Talk Sport. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
4. "WHITES CAPTURE LEIF DAVIS – Leeds United". Leeds United. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
5. "Leif Davis selection is another blow for teammate". HITC. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
6. "Aston Villa 2 Leeds United 3". BBC Sport. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
7. "Leeds defender Leif Davis undergoes operation". HITC. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
8. "Leeds United 2–4 Derby County (Derby win 4–3 on agg)". BBC Sport. 15 May 2019.
9. "'True leader' – Leeds under-23 captain Hugo Diaz impresses the fans once again". The Boot Room. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
10. "Carlos Corberan on what the future can hold for Leeds United's PDL champions". YEP. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
11. "Championship: Leeds United promoted to Premier League after 16-year absence". BBC Sport. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
12. "Leeds 1 Hull City 1". BBC Sport. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
13. McNulty, Phil (3 October 2020). "Leeds United 1–1 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
14. "DAVIS JOINS CHERRIES FROM LEEDS". www.afcb.co.uk. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
15. "Nottingham Forest 1-2 AFC Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
16. "Birmingham City 0-2 AFC Bournemouth". BBC Sport. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
17. "Leif Davis Is A Blue". www.itfc.co.uk. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
18. "Leif Davis: Leeds United left-back joins Ipswich Town on three-year deal". BBC Sport . 26 July 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
19. Watson, Stuart (29 July 2022). "Everything you need to know about Town new boy Leif Davis". East Anglian Daily Times . Retrieved 2 August 2022.
20. "Ipswich Town 1–1 Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport. 30 July 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
21. "Oxford United 2–1 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
22. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
23. "EFL Team of the Season line-ups revealed". EFL. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
24. "Erling Haaland: Manchester City forward wins PFA men's Player of the Year award". BBC Sport. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
25. "PFA Championship Team of the Year". PFA. 20 August 2024.
26. "See who made the EFL Team of the Season line-ups". EFL. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
27. "End of Season Award Winners". Ipswich Town F.C. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
28. "Jordan Ayew's late equaliser denies Ipswich first league win of season". The Observer. The Guardian. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
29. "LEIF DAVIS: IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE". Leeds United. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
30. "Leif Davis in profile: What can Leeds United expect from the promising defender they have snapped up for the U23s?". Leeds Live. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
31. "Who is this promising teenager that Leeds have signed? The future star under Bielsa?". Soccer Souls. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
32. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
33. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
34. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
35. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
36. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
37. "Games played by Leif Davis in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
38. "Huddersfield Town 2–1 West Bromwich Albion". BBC Sport. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
39. "AFC Bournemouth 1–0 Nottingham Forest". BBC Sport. 3 May 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
40. "We Are Premier League!". 4 May 2024.
41. "Fleetwood Town 2 - 2 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.

External links

• Profile at the Ipswich Town F.C. website