Nine players have either left or said they want to leave Elland Road since Leeds were relegated at the end of last season. Credit: Getty Images/James Baylis
Within 150 yards between the entrance to Thorpe Arch and the main road, Leeds United players usually line up for autographs as the players pass by in their cars. However, on Tuesday there was also a handwritten tablet. Table top size and unmistakable message.
«Sideways in front of you every time,» read a banner facing the Leeds players as they left the training ground, using club legend Billy Bremner's famous mantra. It also lists players who have left or want to leave the club. «Aaronson, Harrison, Koch, Roca, Sinisterra, Adams, Wober, Christensen, Gnonto = Greed or no fight.»
A swear word was added next to the name of Tyler Adams, who saw the collapse of a transfer to rivals Chelsea, plus a message that «we don't need you». And the end was obvious to those who were heading home after training. «LUFC fans never forget.»
These fans ended last season with a devastating relegation from the Premier League and plunged into the chaos of the months that followed. The club has new owners, a new manager and players leaving with «exit clauses» — as Daniel Farke calls them — loans to other clubs that were activated when they were relegated to the Premier League.
«It's crazy . crazy thing, but this has been done in the past and we have to accept it and adjust,” Farke said. «As long as I'm in control of the contracts, this is the last thing anyone really wants, so this situation will never happen again.»
Farke is effectively picking up the pieces of the old regime. He was told about the terms of his release when he discussed his four-year contract at Elland Road with sporting director Victor Horta, a key contract negotiator that allowed players to go on loan for the season rather than play in the championship.
Brenden Aaronsohn (Union Berlin), Jack Harrison (Everton), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Diego Llorente, Rasmus Christensen (Roma), Max Weber (Borussia Monchengladbach) and Marc Roca ( Real Betis left the building to start the game. 2023/24 elsewhere.
A message has just been left for the players outside of Leeds United's Thorpe Ark training ground for the team to read on the way out after today's practice . .
Every time in front of you.#LUFC pic.twitter.com/HAJ2ZdHoww
— Sam (@smisles98) August 15, 2023
In Thorpe Arch's auditorium, Farke was weighed in on his responses to broadcasters and local reporters, who rarely had a quiet day this summer to cover the club. He said he was not sure if «any other club in all of Western Europe has had this situation» although it would be difficult for him to make comparisons with the Balkans or elsewhere.
Added to his problems was Willy Gnonto, the star of last season, but now he refuses to play matches because he wants to leave the club. The Italian forward has been moved out of the first team dressing room along with Colombian forward Luis Sinisterra, who has «legal question marks» on his relegation clause.
In Gnonto's case, he has no clause in everything on his terms, which was effectively an Academy contract. The club has made it clear that he will not be sold and now there is hope that he will eventually be able to come back and get a new deal that will include preferential terms. Adams has been the subject of a bid from Bournemouth and, with his relegation clause not being released to the public, is waiting to see if a deal can be struck.
“We spoke quite transparently about the situation. That it's definitely going to be bumpy,» Farke said. “We have been open about the fact that many players will have exit clauses. But the closer we get to the end of the transfer window, the more we get back in the driver's seat. This is what has happened in the last days.”
Farke's talk about returning to the driver's seat hinted that some points have a time limit, meaning that situations with the remaining players may be resolved soon. At least the 46-year-old German has some experience of returning players from the cold.
At Norwich City, he had a situation where Amy Buendia and Todd Cantwell were left out of his first squad. for their attitude towards training, but they eventually returned to the team and helped earn a promotion. A repeat of this seems a far cry from the week Farke had, with a loss to Birmingham City last weekend that left him still without a championship.
In training on Wednesday, he saw Leo Hjelde injured in an aerial duel and was ruled out of Friday's game against West Brom due to concussion rules. It added to the feeling that this situation was self-inflicted. Farka had to come up with a plan for Friday night and also manage his team.
“I'm not just there as a clown and joking for the mood,” he said. “We are also self-critical after the last game, the players know that I trust them and I have to protect them because they are great guys who give everything for the shirt. I'm not just here to cheer up because this is a difficult situation, I'm also here to improve every player. The job of a coach is quite difficult.”
Really difficult. Those deals where players go on loan mean they will be back at the end of the season, so at the very least they will be assets again either for sale or for the Leeds team if they return to the top flight. For now, the first win is a short-term goal.
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