Farke must sell Leeds star who Marsch thought was “special” when he signed

Leeds United have often had to offload their key talents over the years, undoubtedly preventing them from establishing themselves as a constant Premier League outfit.

Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha were two first-team members who departed Elland Road during the summer of 2022, joining Manchester City and Barcelona respectively.

Whilst the two deals saw the club bank around £100m in the process, it left huge holes in vital areas of the squad, leaving a real task for the hierarchy to replace the aforementioned stars.

The Whites were subsequently relegated to the Championship at the end of that season, still yet to secure a return and spending two years in England’s second tier.

With January upcoming, rumours are starting to appear with potential players linked with moves to and away from Yorkshire to boost their potential promotion or financial situation.

Leeds United transfer update

In terms of incomings during the January window, striker Dor Turgeman has been touted with a move to Leeds from Maccabi Tel Aviv, looking to try and improve Daniel Farke’s front line.

The 21-year-old has scored nine times in his 21 appearances to date, potentially having the goalscoring touch to supercharge the Whites’ ambitions of returning to the top flight.

He’s not the only player, with Ben Godfrey also named as an option to potentially move to Yorkshire, but any deal for the former Everton ace would take place in the summer rather than January.

As for departures, centre-back Pascal Struijk has been on the radar of the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur – which could see him follow in the footsteps of Archie Gray, who moved to North London in the summer.

It has been claimed that it is highly unlikely Farke would offload hiis club captain during the January window, but that Ange Postecoglou is desperately looking to add to his defensive options after their recent injury issues – with Struijk one option under consideration.

However, given the interest, the Whites must rebuff any form of interest, subsequently offloading one other defensive option instead, given his lack of impact on the first team in 2024/25.

The player who Farke needs to offload in January

Defender Max Wober joined Leeds in January 2023 under boss Jesse Marsch as he looked to fend off relegation from the Premier League in the final months of the campaign.

However, the 26-year-old would make 16 league appearances in the second half of the season, but was unable to drag the club out of trouble, dropping into England’s second tier as a result.

Wober would jump ship as a result of the relegation, moving to join Bundesliga outfit Borussia Mönchengladbach on loan for the campaign, with the German side having an option to buy.

Despite making 27 appearances in all competitions, the Austrian was unable to impress enough to secure a permanent deal, returning to Elland Road ahead of the ongoing campaign.

Given the fact former boss Marsch dubbed the defender as “special” upon his arrival, high hopes were expected of the former RB Salzburg star, but this season he’s failed to provide the quality many anticipated.

“I knew that about Max before he came, that he’s special that way, very intelligent, very clear with exactly what his role is.”

He’s made four Championship appearances, scoring once but injuries have massively plagued his time in Yorkshire, picking up another setback ahead of this weekend’s clash with Oxford United.

In his four outings to date, he’s only won two tackles and committed five fouls in the process, often being caught out when featuring in the first team under Farke.

Wober cost £11m nearly two years ago and given his recent form in the Championship, it’s highly unlikely that they would recoup all of the money from their investment should they offload him next month.

Any funds could help their pursuit of any of the players mentioned in the transfer update, handing Farke with added funds to try and bolster his ambitions of securing a third promotion to the Premier League.

The deal for the Austrian simply hasn’t been a success, with a move away – as has been touted recently – needed for the defender if he is to resurrect his once-promising career before his move to Yorkshire.