Joe Rothwell Leeds United future now seems sealed after what Farke said
Leeds United have the privilege of owning some of the best players in the Championship this season.
The likes of Joe Rothwell, Willy Gnonto and Ao Tanaka are just some of the names who spring to mind regarding their impressive performances this season and are some of the reasons why they find themselves second in the league.
Now that the January transfer window is just around the corner, however, it feels like some changes are set to take place at Elland Road regarding the players within their ranks.
As well as potential new arrivals, both Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev are set to return to full fitness soon and due to the recent industrious performances of Tanaka and Joe Rothwell, it’s hard for fans to figure out who Farke is likely to drop to make way for the Welshman.
However, after what the German said about him taking up Brenden Aaronson’s number 10 role upon Ampadu’s return, it feels like the future of Rothwell has already been sealed.
Speaking to LeedsLive (18 December) Farke shared his thoughts on the potential of the on-loan ace filling the attacking-midfield role within his starting XI.
“We have tried it also in a few games [Rothwell as a 10],” he said. “When Joe came in, in the number 10 role, also, in the beginning, today, we wanted to change the setup a little bit [with] Max [Wober] a bit building up out of a deeper position to push Joe a bit higher up the pitch.
“I have to say he feels a bit more comfortable when he has the game in front of him and plays his passes and switches the play. He can perhaps help for a few minutes or one game when there’s an injury on the number 10 role.
“Actually, he has many skills that are important for this role, but you feel he’s always a bit more comfortable when he can control the game, just a bit more involved, instead of playing always with the back to the opponent’s goal, in between lines.”
Daniel Farke has a luxurious conundrum to figure out at Leeds United
The fact that Leeds have four central midfielders that deserve to be starting in their team each week when fully fit shows how well they recruited in the summer.
While having two players who are equally as good as one another in every position is likely an ideal situation for any manager, it feels harsh that one of Tanaka or Rothwell have to be dropped.
Of course, the German could change his starting XI but as he has already been shown this term, that’s a rather unlikely outcome.
Additionally, because Amapdu is the club’s captain and is far better defensively than their current midfield duo, it’s clear that one of them will have to make way once he’s fully fit and that doesn’t seem likely to be the excellent Tanaka.
Only time will tell what Farke chooses to do when it gets to the point that the former Chelsea man is ready to start week-in and week-out again but at the moment, things don’t look too good for their on-loan ace.
In other Leeds news, Patrick Bamford looks likely to exit Elland Road in 2025 after the latest developments.
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