Daniel Farke could well find he's put on the same pedestal as Leeds United icon Marcelo Bielsa if the Whites lift the Championship title at the end of his enthralling season, with the West Yorkshire side sitting pretty currently at the top of the perch.
Bielsa did manage to propel Leeds into a mid-table spot in the Premier League after winning promotion however, with Farke having to break his stage fright when it comes to managing in the top-flight – where he has relegated Norwich City previously – if the Whites do end up back there.
Still, not everything that that cult Argentine figure touched turned to gold with this one-time Leeds prospect, who was openly admired by Bielsa, now struggling to revitalise his career at the very bottom of League One.
Alfie McCalmont's time at Leeds
Despite being studied extensively by the South American manager – with the meticulous ex-Leeds boss revealed to have "spent close to 20 hours watching" clips involving the player, according to the Athletic's Phil Hay – Alfie McCalmont would never quite make the grade at Elland Road as a skilful midfield spark.
The Northern Irish midfielder would only go on to make two appearances in the first team ranks in West Yorkshire, having excited those who had watched him light up U21 pitches for Leeds.
Still, the now 23-year-old would go on to make just eleven appearances in the youth set-up at Leeds despite being hyped up.
It would result in McCalmont being routinely loaned out to cut his teeth elsewhere instead of ever flourishing at his boyhood club, succeeding all the way down in League Two with the likes of Oldham Athletic and Morecambe in short stints before the Whites then allowed for their highly tipped wonderkid to walk away as a free agent in 2023.
Now, McCalmont, who was once talked up as being "immensely talented" by former Leeds player Noel Whelan, is really struggling to get his Carlisle United team going right at the foot of League One with anonymous displays centrally.
Alfie McCalmont's time at Carlisle in numbers
It did start brightly for the ex-Leeds man relocating to Cumbria, the 23-year-old bagging two goals from just 16 appearances for Paul Simpson's men last year towards the end of their promotion-winning campaign from League Two.
But, coinciding with Carlisle collectively struggling to navigate the step-up to the third tier, McCalmont's performances have become less impactful consequently for his doomed team.
The 23-year-old hasn't even helped himself to a single assist from 28 league games in the third tier, with his goal output drying up also.
McCalmont's last strike for the Cumbrians dates all the way back to the start of this year versus Oxford United, where Simpson's men were unsurprisingly beaten 3-1 having lost 11 of their 13 games this year in the division.
28 games (15 starts)
1 goal
0 assists
2 'big chances' created
0.4 key passes per game
0.4 interceptions per game
1 tackle per game
37% total duels won
6.3x possession lost per game
6.63 avg. match rating
Whilst faces such as Archie Gray and even Joe Gelhardt in his prime have made the jump up to the Leeds first team look almost effortless from the youth sides, McCalmont will now be remembered for being the nearly man who never quite lived up to his hype in West Yorkshire.
In another reality, McCalmont might have catapulted himself into Leeds stardom like Gray and would now be a key performer for the Whites as they eye an immediate return to the Premier League.
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Instead, his lacklustre displays will see him back playing League Two football next campaign barring a miracle in Cumbria.
