Daniel Farke looks sure to sign Sam Byram at Leeds United after weekend developments with sudden Max Wober exit on the cards
Sam Byram looks set to return to Leeds United on a permanent basis after six and a half years away, as recent developments at the club point towards a deal.
The 29-year-old defender knows manager Daniel Farke from their time together at Norwich, and after leaving Carrow Road this summer he has been brought to Elland Road by the German to train with the team.
A free transfer signing was potentially already on the cards, with 90min reporting on 17 July the Whites were set to “reunite” the pair, and Byram’s surprise appearance in the Saturday friendly against Monaco looks a clear indication of Farke’s intentions.
The German said following the friendly appearance off the bench, via Leeds Live: “Sam is obviously a top, top player once he’s fit, a top class character, elite academy product, he has had a really good spell, top character, homegrown also important for the Championship.
“As an experienced player, that’s what you also need to build and also in a few positions. Yeah, we could definitely meet our needs, also some signings.
“But the most important topic for Sam is that his body is fit and ready to go. I was quite pleased with him in the last 30 minutes today, he came in a difficult spell when we were a bit under pressure off of Monaco and I think he had a solid start to life here in pre-season and the most important topic is that he stays fit.”
Letting a former charge return to his boyhood club to maintain his fitness as he looks for his next move is one thing, but playing him during preseason is a step up and suggests the defender is in line for a contract offer in the coming weeks.
The precarious transfer window situation that Farke is operating in only makes it more likely, as he will struggle to plan with certainty until deadline day passes.
Max Wober was suddenly absent from the same squad that Byram featured in at the weekend, and is now set to make a belated exit to Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Austrian was a key man in the back line after his January arrival from Red Bull Salzburg, and had been expected to stay up until recent developments [Leeds Live, 6 July].
There are questions marks over the future of both Cody Drameh on the right and Junior Firpo on the left, with Rasmus Kristensen already on loan at Roma alongside Diego Llorente, and Robin Koch at Eintracht at Eintracht Frankfurt, so the defence is already looking shaky and could be weakened further.
Even if Byram isn’t slated to be a regular starter, and with no more than 18 league appearances in any of the seasons since he first left Elland Road he likely wouldn’t be, his versatility might be key in an emergency, especially with Stuart Dallas coming back from a major injury.
The weekend developments gave away the fact that the Leeds United academy product is more involved in proceedings than originally thought, but Wober suddenly leaving illustrates how the overall squad picture is uncertain, so a low-cost free agent pick up as he searches for other new arrivals would be absolutely no surprise now.
In other Leeds United news, Adam Pope believes there is “no way back” for a number of Whites players after his BBC colleague blasted the “dreadful” business this summer.