Isaac Schmidt looks set for exit as twist emerges away from Leeds United
Isaac Schmidt’s summer transfer to Leeds United hasn’t exactly gone to plan as the final straight of the season approaches.
Leeds have just eight matches between now and the end of the regular season and are in pole position to seal automatic promotion to the Premier League, sitting atop the Championship table on goal difference.
However, one player who doesn’t look likely to make much impact in the run-in is Schmidt, who is yet to start a league game for the Whites and has made just seven Championship appearances off the bench.
Schmidt’s total of just 25 Championship minutes is staggeringly low given his versatility and highly anticipated arrival from St. Gallen last August, but that’s not stopped him earning an international call-up.
Leeds in unbelievable Isaac Schmidt fact
Schmidt’s call-up into the Switzerland national squad – his first at senior level – will have come as a surprise to Daniel Farke and other higher-ups in LS11, considering how little he’s been used this season.
| Player | Appearances | Starts | Goals/Assists | Left on Bench | Not in Squad |
| Isaac Schmidt | 9 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 8 |
Switzerland head coach Murat Yakin not only named Schmidt in his squad despite a lack of minutes, he also named him in their lineup to face Northern Ireland on Friday, starting him at right-back in Belfast.
The Athletic journalist Beren Cross took to X on 21 March, pointing out the fact that: “Isaac Schmidt gets his international debut with Switzerland before his full league debut in Leeds.
Isaac Schmidt gets his international debut with Switzerland before his full league debut for Leeds. #lufc https://t.co/oeqkcXgSSO
— Beren Cross (@BerenCross) March 21, 2025
Schmidt in no mood to hang around at Leeds United
Though Schmidt has already done enough in terms of appearances to earn a Championship winners’ or promotion medal – if Leeds can finish the job – this season, he’ll have expected a different time of things.
Signing off from St. Gallen with a goal against Trabzonspor in the UEFA Conference League qualifiers before arriving in LS11, Schmidt has simply not been given enough game time to make a similar impact.
Leeds’ full-back slots will be up for grabs this summer with Sam Byram and Junior Firpo out of contract, but given how hesitant he’s been to give Schmidt minutes, Daniel Farke is likely to want upgrades.
Jayden Bogle’s form makes him a certainty on the right, and with Schmidt on the periphery at Elland Road despite his international exploits, his best route for regular first-team action could be the exit door.
A Premier League bonus will indeed be an incentive to stay, but it remains to be seen where Schmidt wants to take his career next, particularly now he’s a senior international footballer.