Leeds United Boss Farke Addresses Transfer Anxiety and ‘Solutions’ After Efforts by Key Figures

The German manager is approaching his second season at Elland Road from a position of strength, unlike the chaos and uncertainty of last summer.

With 10 days before the season starts, the squad is relatively stable, and Leeds are expected to bolster Farke’s options in just a few positions.

However, doubts remain about holding onto some of their best young players. There are no guarantees that Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto will stay at Leeds by the end of the transfer window.

Summerville, who missed Saturday’s win over Schalke 04 with a hamstring issue, has attracted interest from Brighton and West Ham United, among others.

Meanwhile, Gnonto is still on Everton’s radar after last summer’s unsuccessful attempts to sign him from Elland Road.

Supporters fear that either or both players could depart in late-window moves, leaving Leeds without adequate time to find replacements.

While Farke’s ideal scenario is retaining his players when the window shuts, he’s not panicking.

“If you are working with anxiety in this business, then you are in the wrong position,” he said. “We know we’re not PSG or Real Madrid who can afford every player, but we spoke openly about it.

Decisions in the past have forced us into situations where we have to think about the financial situation and stay within the rules.

Our hands may be more tied than other clubs, but we need to make smart decisions.

Overall, there’s no anxiety because many players want to play for Leeds, especially our group here. Even if one or two leave, I’m sure we would find good solutions. But I hope our best solutions stay.”

Farke echoes the club hierarchy’s sentiment that the squad is in a good place, certainly better than it was last year.

There’s confidence in the number of very good players, and having come so close to their goal last season, tweaks rather than full-scale changes were the focus of the summer window.

The near miss with promotion, though still a sore point, adds to the club’s appeal in recruitment.

“I think it’s a testament to the good work of our club because our key people have ensured we have a clear philosophy, stability, clear values, and principles in how we want to play,” he said.

“Last season was heartbreaking, getting 90 points but not achieving automatic promotion and losing the play-off final.

However, it was a good advertisement for us—the way we played, the team’s behavior, the connection with the supporters, and the atmosphere at Elland Road.

It was a great advertisement after two challenging years. I think we’re in a really good place to have a strong side for next season, and let’s see how far we can go.”