Leeds United expect to have their second senior addition through the door before the end of the week and leave themselves with two new faces seven days out from the start of the saeason
Ambition must not be forgotten as Leeds United navigate the choppy waters of a transfer window after relegation. Karl Darlow is expected to imminently join Ethan Ampadu as the club’s second senior addition of the summer, but that’s where they stand with just nine days until the season starts.
Daniel Farke still feels there is an awful lot of business for the Whites to conclude if they want to be a club with major ambitions next season. While he believes he can make the best of a squad which has Ethan Ampadu backed up by Archie Gray and Darko Gyabi in midfield, Farke can only admit that is not the correct scenario for a club with designs on promotion.
“It’s always about what wishes and what is realistic to do,” he said. “We have to say, 100 per cent, we need in many, many positions.
“We can’t rely, if we want to be an ambitious club, on just Ethan Ampadu in the centre of the park and if he’s not ready then perhaps on an 18-year-old guy in the number eight position, or a 17-year-old guy who has to lead then our midfield.
“It’s not possible, and also not healthy, for the development of the young lads, so they need players who they can lean on, where they can learn. I’m pretty pleased with the development of our young players.”
The night before Leeds faced Monaco, Max Wober told Farke and captain Liam Cooper he did not want to play ahead of a planned move to Borussia Monchengladbach. Not only was that a surprise after his initial insistence he would stick around after relegation, but it weakened another area of the manager’s squad.
Enquiries have been made about the likes of Nat Phillips, even before Farke arrived, and he is clear that is an area they need reinforcements. As it stands, Charlie Cresswell, Cooper and Pascal Struijk appear to be the trio Farke is counting on in the middle of his backline.
“We definitely need additions also at the centre-back position,” he said. “It will be a long season. I know the Championship is the toughest league in the world and, at the moment, we just have three centre-halves so we need to do a little bit, we are also a bit thin after the long-term injury of the full-back positions.”
Left-back Junior Firpo is expected to be out until the end of August, weakening that side of the field, but right-back had appeared to be set with Luke Ayling and Cody Drameh. Whatever the combination or external opinion, Farke is not satisfied with any area of his defence.
“Many, many positions if I’m honest, but it’s always about what is realistic,” he said. “So I have many wishes and if you want to start really ambitious[ly] into the season there needs a lot of business to be done.
“If it’s not possible due to the nature of the situation, we keep going with what we’ve got and try to make the best out of it.”
