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Expectations
Paweł Cibicki came to Leeds United after Chris Wood’s departure to Burnely, and along with Caleb Ekuban, Kemar Roofe, Jay-Roy Grot and Pierre-Michel Lasogga, was supposed to be part of a committee to replace the big Kiwi in the lineup. The former Malmö FF forward was brought in near the deadline, arriving on 30 August, to some fanfare and a welcome from fellow Sweden international Pontus Jansson.
However, Cibicki barely got a chance to prove himself in a Leeds shirt, and despite a decent run of form in December, was quickly shown the bench in January. He appeared once in the U23s after Paul Heckingbottom came to the club but failed to make any senior appearances.
Cibicki's caught the eye today. Moving around like TC's three like to, a pin-point cross for Roofe's goal and a few clever touches. Back in the frame you'd say.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) December 9, 2017
Performance
Cibicki appeared a total of 10 times for Leeds this past season, making seven Championship appearances, two appearances in the League Cup and started in the debacle at Newport in the FA Cup. He made his first appearance in the league against Queens Park Rangers, coming on after Caleb Ekuban went down injured.
He was brilliant in that match, assisting on one of Kemar Roofe’s three goals in the match, and left many fans wondering why Cibicki had been left out of almost all of the lineups during the season after only getting two chances in the League Cup against Burnley and Leicester City.
Few numbers from yesterday:
— LUFCDATA (@LUFCDATA) December 31, 2017
Leeds won 25% of their tackles
Leeds won 36% of their aerial duels
Leeds made 1 successful cross
Leeds failed to win a tackle in the opposition half
Roofe failed to register a single shot
Cibicki completed just 7 passes, Alioski 10, Phillips 11.
Cibicki continued to appear for Leeds, but his performances dipped the longer he was included in the lineup. He was taken off injured against Ipswich Town, and appeared a grand total of one minute the rest of the season. He scored two goals in an appearance for the U23s, and then failed to make a single appearance.
Cibicki’s time at Leeds is almost certainly up, after he was recently spotted at a Legia Warsaw match with his agent. His agent already came and visited him at Leeds in March, and after his agent left, Cibicki made no more appearances for the club or the U23s.
Final Season Grade: C
To be honest, not a lot was expected of Cibicki before the season. Grot and Lasogga received most of the hype and the transfer of Cibicki was a little under the radar. He failed to make an impression during the League Cup matches, played brilliantly for a few matches in December, and then vanished again.
If his appearances had been managed better by Thomas Christiansen, Cibicki could have been a valuable member of the team, but perhaps TC knew all along that whatever form Cibicki could produce wasn’t sustainable. Either that or he got stuck in TC’s doghouse along with Matuesz Klich. He’s almost certainly gone and has been for months now.