Sheffield Wednesday star Josh Windass reveals the Leeds United player who was the best he played against this season
Sheffield Wednesday star Josh Windass has revealed that Leeds United midfielder Ao Tanaka is the best player he’s played against in the Championship this past season.
The 31-year-old, who has reportedly seen an extension clause in his contract triggered keeping him at Hillsborough for at least another season, enjoyed one of his best individual campaigns as an Owls player to date this past season.
Windass, a versatile forward, bagged 13 goals and five assists in 44 Championship appearances in 2024/25, which is his highest league goal return in one season since he signed for Wednesday in 2020.
“Clever player” – Sheffield Wednesday star Josh Windass drops best player claim on Leeds United’s Ao Tanaka
Taking to his Instagram account on 19 May, Windass decided to conduct a short Q&A (question and answer) session with his followers via his Instagram story.
One follower posed the question to the Wednesday star: ‘best opposing player in Champ (Championship) this season?’
In response to that question, the former Wigan, Rangers and Accrington Stanley man answered: “Probably (Ao) Tanaka. Clever player.”
Indeed, Sheffield Wednesday and Windass were on the receiving end of a defeat to Leeds United home and away this past season, losing 2-0 at Hillsborough and 3-0 at Elland Road respectively.
Whilst Tanaka was not a Whites player at the time of Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat on 23 August, the Japanese international put the third and final nail in the Owls’ coffin at Elland Road on 19 January, scoring Leeds’ third in the 96th minute of the game.
Windass, and indeed the Championship as a whole, will surely be glad to see the back of Ao Tanaka
Signed for just £2.95m from German outfit Fortuna Düsseldorf in August, Tanaka is already looking like one of the biggest bargains in recent Leeds United memory.
The industrious yet silky central midfielder covered every single blade of grass in every Championship stadium he set foot in during his debut season in English football, and was the metronome in the middle of Daniel Farke’s side.
