Leeds triple sale expected as Daniel Farke snub ‘virtually guaranteed’
Leeds United’s progress as a club in recent years has made it hard for young talents to break through into the first team.
Outstanding youngsters like Archie Gray, who showed footballing ability way beyond his years, have had no issue in breaking through, but for others, it’s been even harder than previously to rise through the ranks at Elland Road.
That looks unlikely to change anytime soon with the Whites now a Premier League side once again, given how hard it can be for youngsters to step into a top-flight team and immediately prove themselves to be worthy of a sustained place in the side.
Darko Gyabi, Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt will likely all be sold this summer
As Leeds have progressed, players around the fringes of the first team squad have gradually been phased out, and three of those players in particular will surely be departing the West Yorkshire outfit this summer.
Darko Gyabi, Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt, who will be 22, 24 and 24 respectively by the time next season starts, are all “virtually guaranteed” to get no gametime next season, according to The Athletic (7 June).
The trio all spent last season on loan elsewhere in the Championship, but unless Leeds see a “meteoric rise” from any of them this summer, then they are all likely to be sold ahead of next season.
The Whites are looking to strengthen their PSR position as much as possible, and while none of the trio would command big fees by Premier League standards, any sort of profit that could be gained would be a big help for the club.
Gyabi, Greenwood and Gelhardt could all move back to the Championship
If Leeds do end up looking to sell the trio this summer, then all three would be well-suited to an immediate return to the second tier.
Gyabi featured heavily for Plymouth Argyle in 2024/25 and performed well despite his side ultimately being relegated. Meanwhile, Greenwood was one of Preston’s more threatening players as they narrowly avoided the drop.
Gelhardt notched five goals in 20 outings for Hull in the second half of the campaign and is perhaps the one who will have frustrated Leeds the most.
The former Wigan Athletic man was tipped for big things as a youngster, having represented England at multiple age groups, but those initial expectations haven’t really materialised at Elland Road.
With Leeds now back in the big time, it makes sense for all parties to part ways on a permanent basis. The trio will all need regular football if they are to progress their careers, which understandably won’t happen at Leeds.
At the same time, the club need to raise as many funds as possible to be able to provide Farke with the additions he needs to ensure their Premier League stay isn’t over as quickly as it began.