(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Thu 28 May 2026 12:10, UK

Karl Darlow has earned his right to be Leeds United‘s number one goalkeeper, but a move for Braga’s Lukas Hornicek puts his chances in doubt.

The Whites are gearing up for a crucial summer transfer window, one that Paraag Marathe has admitted will need to be strategic.

Leeds signed Lucas Perri last summer, and despite costing the Whites an eight-figure fee, Darlow emerged as the one for Daniel Farke.

The Welshman has proven that age is just a number in the Premier League this season, with fans now hoping the club offers him a new deal at Elland Road.

However, Leeds want to sign Hornicek, which makes you question Farke’s true faith in Darlow.

Karl Darlow isn’t any worse than Lukas Hornicek

Darlow has been better than Perri this season, and has ironically played more football in the Premier League than he did in the Championship last term.

The 35-year-old kept five clean sheets in 22 games this campaign, taking his overall tally of appearances up to 38 since signing for the Whites in 2023.

Hornicek has no doubt been on fire for Braga in Liga Portugal this season, keeping 12 clean sheets in 33 games, but it is a division with much less quality than the Premier League.

All you need to do is look at how good Perri was doing abroad before joining the Whites, and how his form didn’t carry over into the big time.

Darlow has proven this, playing a crucial role in helping Leeds keep a Premier League status.

But the truth is that Leeds would not be going for a player like Hornicek just to have him on the bench, as Darlow doesn’t deserve to be anything but the first-choice keeper at the same time.

Darlow could join Tottenham now

Tottenham have made contact with Darlow over a possible transfer, with Guglielmo Vicario likely to leave the Lilywhites this summer.

If Leeds don’t have Darlow, Spurs will by the looks of it, and it could be a huge error that comes back to haunt Farke and the 49ers.

There’s no guarantee that Leeds will survive the drop easily next season again, and we’ve already seen how crucial a reliable shot-stopper is in a relegation fight.

If Tottenham were to propose an important role for Darlow under Roberto De Zerbi, the veteran could seek an Elland Road exit.

De Zerbi was a big fan of Jason Steele at Brighton, a goalkeeper of similar age and ball-playing ability as Darlow, with everything almost aligning for his exit now.