Leeds United must still prepare for defender's exit this summer: View | OneFootball

Max Wöber is not guaranteed to be a Leeds United player by the end of the transfer window.

Highlights

Max Wöber has been reintegrated into Daniel Farke's plans at Leeds United, with the defender heading to Germany for pre-season and featuring in the second half of their recent win over Hannover 96 as a left-back.

He was one of several first-teamers to secure loan exits from Elland Road during the summer window, with these exits a blow for the Whites considering they were unable to generate much, if any, revenue from the departures. He activated the loan clause in his contract and moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga after just six months at Leeds.

The Austrian defender had only joined the Whites in January 2023 for a fee of around £10 million from RB Salzburg, and whilst he couldn’t help keep the West Yorkshire outfit in the Premier League, he was one of few to emerge with any credit after generally impressing during his 19 appearances in all competitions, at either left-back or centre-back.

Since then, he has been fairly solid during his loan with the Bundesliga outfit, and that highlights that there remains every chance he has permanent suitors in a top-flight league somewhere this summer.

The latest regarding Max Wöber's Leeds future

An update in June came from Wöber speaking to Austrian news outlet Kleine Zeitung, where he claimed that he would decide on his future after the European Championships. However, according to reports from Football Insider from earlier in the summer, the Whites are willing to cash-in on the Austrian following his loan spell with Mönchengladbach.

To put some of that uncertainty to rest, Daniel Farke has since confirmed Wöber will be welcomed back into the fold with Leeds for the upcoming Championship campaign, with Adam Pope of the BBC claiming that the defender will be following Brenden Aaronson into being incorporated back into the first-team plans.

Despite that, many Leeds fans feel as though there remains every chance that he leaves the club should they receive a viable transfer offer this summer. None have been forthcoming so far, but his stock remains intact after a decent season in the Bundesliga. Wöber is also behind Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon in the centre-back pecking order, and Junior Firpo in the same regard at left-back.

The plan for Max Wöber

If he is to be reintegrated, then he helps to provide solid versatility both positionally and tactically, as a player who can operate as a left-back in a back four, a left-sided central defender in a back three, or a centre-back in a back four. That depth and cover could be crucial on the bench, with Farke reluctant to use either Liam Cooper or Charlie Cresswell last season, and with Leeds having no specialist left-back outside of Firpo.

The question then becomes one of whether he is a part of Leeds' best XI, which it's hard to argue that Wöber is currently. In that sense, there is every chance he will not be plying his trade with Leeds by the end of August, in spite of Farke's recent comments regarding the 26-year-old's future.

His wages and quality alone make him a top-flight player in all but name, but he simply cannot displace the starting players in the positions he is able to play in at the present moment. After a number of exits from Farke's defensive pool, his side are extremely thin at the back in terms of numbers, which perhaps hands Wöber that opportunity to come back into the fold. But he will want to start, especially as a full international for Austria.

He should not be short of interest from major European leagues this summer, and his place in the pecking order behind the likes of Struijk and possibly Ethan Ampadu at left-sided centre-back should alert sides to his availability. Certainly, for most Leeds fans, they would happily see the back of most of the loaned out players from 2023/24, but in some instances it may make sense to keep them around.

Wöber is one who falls into that category of useful, alongside Aaronson, but especially when considering his experience and quality relative to second tier level, which would be extremely useful to have around the dressing room in a very youthful-looking side this summer.

For the most part, those players with loan clauses have found homes elsewhere, and it feels like only a matter of time before someone else does similar with Wöber this summer, even if some Leeds fans are keen for him to stay. That exit is also despite the difficulty regarding his large wage packet. Farke has bought the Austrian some time, but he and his agent are surely working out ways to get him out of Leeds in the coming weeks.

Leeds should already be in search of cover at both full-back and centre-back in the final six weeks of the transfer window, but Wöber's exit would make such acquisitions even more paramount before it closes.