Leeds United loan exit ‘simply crucial’ claims Max Wober despite ‘status’ at Elland Road
Max Wober has explained his exit from Leeds United was “very difficult” but had to happen as it was “simply crucial” for him to play at the highest level.
In an interview with Rheinische Post (22 September) the Austrian defender said that his loan move to Borussia Monchengladbach was necessary despite being “very comfortable” at Elland Road, where he had built up a “certain status” within the club.
Wober, 25, arrived from Red Bull Salzburg in the January transfer window last season before leaving after just six months due to a release clause in his deal following relegation.
Wober said: “It was very difficult for me because I felt very comfortable there and had already built up a certain status in the club – even though we were relegated.
“Then there were discussions with both Leeds and Gladbach, for me it was simply crucial that I could play at the highest level.”
Disappointment
Wober had arguably proven to be the most effective of all the signings the Whites made last season when he was added to a struggling back line midway through the campaign.
His form dipped later in the year after injury but his importance to the team was clear, so his exit was one of the bigger blows to Daniel Farke’s plans during the summer.
It may be a valid position to want to play in a top division, especially with an international tournament coming up next summer, but it would hold more weight if Wober hadn’t apparently committed to remaining before changing his mind and leaving.
That “U-turn at the first sign of Borussia Monchengladbach interest” was said to have “hurt team-mates and colleagues” [Leeds Live, 31 July] and has surely damaged the status that he had achieved in his short time at Elland Road.
Willy Gnonto’s subsequent transfer request and hold-out from matches prior to the window closing, only to successfully be reintegrated into the side by Farke, has proven that this summer doesn’t necessarily have to be the end of the road at Leeds United for some of the players due back at the end of the season.
If the Whites aren’t promoted it likely ends any prospects of Wober coming back, but he proved last season that he can perform in the Premier League so, the manner of his departure notwithstanding, he could feasibly still be an asset in future if Farke can secure a return to the top flight.
In other Leeds United news, the club’s “only hope” for a reprieve after a blow that riled Farke has been ruled out.