Leeds United may have Noah Okafor trouble ahead as Swiss journalist shares damning ‘unrest’ claim
Noah Okafor’s future at international level has prompted plenty of discussions away from Leeds United of late.
The Switzerland international has made a bright start to life at Elland Road on the pitch, and he is quickly becoming a key player for the Whites in his debut Premier League campaign.
Okafor’s ball-carrying ability has been crucial for Leeds in many of their games so far this season, and he is sure to continue to play a key role for them as their relegation fight unfolds in the coming months.
Daniel Farke’s side have been heavily reliant on the winger to provide creativity in the final third so far this term, but events away from LS11 this week will have handed them plenty of concerns.
Journalist thinks Noah Okafor is ‘not a team player’
Okafor’s performances at Leeds would ordinarily have seen him handed an international call-up, but that hasn’t been the case for him ahead of the upcoming November break.
The 25-year-old and the Switzerland boss Murat Yakin have a somewhat fractured relationship, with the wideman having not featured for his country since 2024.
Yakin snubbed the former AC Milan star once again when naming his latest squad, and then hinted that the player isn’t taking his message on board earlier this week.
That lack of understanding will have been hugely concerning from a Leeds perspective, and they have now been provided with yet more reason to worry about their star.
Blick’s leading football journalist Tobias Wedermann has delivered an assessment of Okafor’s standing in relation to his national team, and it is a pretty damning reflection of his attitude as a player.
He references a recent interview from the Whites star in which he shared his frustrations with the Swiss team.
“Everyone was sure that the Basel native would have a very big future in the national team,” Wedermann wrote.
“But since his move from RB Salzburg to AC Milan, Okafor’s self-awareness and reality have turned in different directions on the way.
“The timing of his interview underscores all the prejudices and concerns currently held within the national team. Okafor is not a team player and prioritises his own interests over those of the team.
“He can think of nothing better to do than to thrust himself into the media spotlight right now and risk causing unrest within the national team.”
Leeds won’t want Noah Okafor unrest during relegation battle
Okafor has the ability to keep Leeds in the Premier League by himself, but at the same time, he may also hold the power to seal his team’s fate in the opposite direction.
There have been absolutely no indications of this suspected poor attitude since his arrival in LS11, but it is certainly a situation that Farke and Co. will need to monitor carefully moving forward.
The Whites are going to have plenty of bumps in the road throughout their fight for survival in the top-flight, and the last thing they need is a player who has the potential to be volatile and could become a divisive figure in the dressing room.
Okafor doesn’t appear to be causing any issues at the moment, but he could easily spell trouble for Leeds later down if this attitude seeps in at Elland Road.
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