Leeds United have made their ultimate choice on Georginio Rutter and Patrick Bamford.
Leeds United, who were relegated last season, have had a rocky start to their Championship campaign.
Daniel Farke and his recruitment team have only produced two high-profile signings, with Ethan Ampadu joining from Chelsea earlier this month and Karl Darlow joining Thorp Arch as August approaches. The signing of the Premier League duo is a good sign for the Whites, but with the loan departures of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, and others, the Whites are looking short, particularly in defence.
Add Rodrigo Moreno’s departure to Qatar into the mix, and Farke has a lot of work on his hands before he can begin to think about claiming his third Championship title as a manager, having won the accolade twice with Norwich. And as the season approaches thick and fast, Football League World takes a look at the latest news emerging from Elland Road.
Max Wober leaves on loan
Maximillian Wober joined Leeds as a Premier League team in January, signing a four-and-a-half-year deal from Red Bull Salzburg. But, after only 16 Premier League matches and a demotion, the Austrian defender has already left Yorkshire, joining Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach.
That is Daniel Farke’s old club, who had been interested in the 25-year-old all summer and have finally secured his services on a loan deal.
Wober, who failed to make the mark at Sevilla, has previously played for elite European club Ajax, earning 16 caps for Austria – vital experience for a Championship club. Leeds has now loaned out four defenders without recouping their costs.
Karl Darlow signs
Leeds struggled a lot last year with the man between the sticks. Young French shotstopper Illan Meslier became the man to don the No. 1 shirt throughout the Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch period, though when Sam Allardyce came into the fold, he was replaced by Joel Robles.
Try as he might, the Spaniard conceded 11 goals in his final four games as the Whites went down without a whimper, before departing the club at the end of the season
In a bid to remedy their woes at the back, Farke has brought in long-serving Newcastle man Karl Darlow. After 86 appearances for Newcastle over the past nine seasons, including 34 of those when Newcastle were last in the second-tier, Darlow brings a wealth of experience to Elland Road having signed on Saturday – but now attentions must turn to fixing up the rest of the squad after the high-profile arrivals.
Bamford and Rutter injuries
Leeds’ 2-0 friendly win over Hearts at the weekend was undoubtedly a positive in some ways; the Whites included players like Archie Gray, a 17-year-old midfielder, alongside some of their first-team stars who look set to stay.
However, there was some terrible news in the striker department. Georginio Rutter was forced off with a muscular injury, while Patrick Bamford, who has been plagued by ailments throughout his tenure at Elland Road, was forced off with a hamstring injury that will disrupt his preparations for the start of the season. Farke will now have to rely on Willy Gnonto and Joe Gelhardt to lead the line if they do not play against Cardiff on Sunday.
When asked about Rutter’s problems after the game, Leeds manager Chris Wilder informed Leeds Live: “A muscle injury in his core.” I hope it’s not too awful; we’ll have to wait for the evaluation. It’s too soon to say anything, but it’s a core muscle.”
On Bamford, he responded, “Yes, it appears to be a hamstring injury.” It’s nearly identical. We must wait for the evaluation. So he’s had enough experience to know that something happened after the sprint, and now we have to wait for the assessment.”
“I don’t think it will affect our transfer plans at all because I don’t think it’s an unbelievably long-term injury, so it’s not like an ACL,” the German coach said of the seasoned forward.
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