Sheffield Wednesday star Josh Windass reveals the Leeds United player who was the best he played against this season | OneFootball

The Owls star was responding to a Q&A session on his Instagram account when he dropped a fascinating claim regarding the Leeds star.

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.

Tanaka's 89.9 per cent passing accuracy ranked him in the top 93.4 percentile of Championship central midfielders this past season, whilst his 3,159 touches and 54 interceptions ranked him in the top 95.9 percentiles in both categories - per FotMob.

Seldom did he lose his individual midfield battle, whilst also providing seven direct goal contributions; the 26-year-old contributed to every single facet of Leeds United's title-winning campaign.

In truth, he's looked every bit of a Premier League-standard central midfielder throughout the season, and now he will get the chance to prove that in the top flight in 2025/26.

As such, it's perhaps fair to say that Windass, and indeed every Championship player and manager, will be glad they don't have to prepare for Tanaka next season.