The Leeds United summer signing has been in scintillating form since returning from injury.
Red-hot Leeds United forward Noah Okafor can’t remember having a coach afford him as much freedom as current boss Daniel Farke.
£16million summer signing Okafor has peaked at the perfect time for Leeds, his four goals in as many Premier League games helping to virtually guarantee survival. The Swiss international followed up a historic match-winning brace at Old Trafford with confident back-post finishes against Wolves and Burnley, helping his side towards nine huge points.
Okafor has been one of many to benefit from Farke’s formation switch, with the powerful forward able to drift between left-wing and the second-striker role around Dominic Calvert-Lewin. And the 25-year-old believes that positional freedom, handed to him by the manager, is a key reason for his brilliant form.
“For me he’s a top coach, top guy, he knows exactly what he wants from the players,” Okafor told BBC West Yorkshire Sport. “That’s why I feel so comfortable. He gave me a little bit of freedom upfront, so to move a little bit how I feel.
“I think he knows this, and I always try to give everything for him, for the team, for the fans, yeah. I think everything about the coach is just really a good coach.
“I don’t know if in the past I’ve had a coach to give me that freedom. And I’m a player, I need this freedom to perform on the highest level, and that’s what I’m doing now.”
The current purple patch has taken Okafor onto eight goals for the season, with a further assist marking his most productive ever campaign in a top-five European league. It was also enough for the Leeds star to be nominated for April’s Premier League Player of the Month award with Farke on the manager’s shortlist.
‘Happy’ Noah Okafor on Leeds United impact
Beyond hitting the back of the net, Okafor has been a crucial player all season when fit – which, despite a previously sketchy injury record, has been more often than not. The former AC Milan star has one-v-one quality not many other squad members possess and an improvement in defensive work-rate has been noted in recent weeks.
“I don’t think only about goals,” Okafor added. “I think about how I can help the team to improve, train hard and give everything on the pitch. To adapt in the Premier League, to be ready in each and every game, to train hard and to try to improve.
“You can see, when I enter the pitch, I try to give everything to help the team. I was so happy that I can help the team also with some goals and offensive play. I think it’s a nice thing to score and to win. So, yeah, it’s been a good combination.
“I just enjoy it, to do what I love the most and it’s football and try and try to see how I improve. It’s a really nice feeling. I don’t compare it with my other teams I played for. I’m here, I’m really happy here, I feel comfortable here.”