Daniel Farke drops Leeds United free agent hints as he sets deal deadline for 'special' situation
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Farke lost both holding midfielders Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to serious knee injuries in the space of a few days before the October international break, leaving him with two number 8s - Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell - to play in the middle of the park.
Ex-West Ham United man Cheikhou Kouyaté is one of a small number of players Leeds have been considering and they have been linked to Christoph Kramer and Francis Coquelin, and though Farke is tight-lipped when it comes to names right now he confirms they are still exploring the prospect of a free agent signing.
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Hide Ad"I never confirm any names and won't speak about players who aren't under contract," he said. "It would not be professional. I just speak about our players. I can speak in general about the situation. It's a pretty special and unique situation, we had a small group anyway before the injuries to Ethan and Ilia. We've decided to have a deeper look into the free agent market. We had some guests in the last days here at Thorp Arch to have a deeper look on it."
What Farke wants is a player who can cover not only the number 6 role but potentially a central defensive position. And whoever might come in must understand and accept their brief.
"It's most important not to speak about names but the profile is important, " he said. "We're thin on the holding midfield option. Ethan was our first choice, the back-up would be Ilia. We're also a bit thin on the centre-back position. Max [Wober] is out and was not really available since he came back in the summer, although he's a bit ahead of schedule. We have to keep in mind Pascal [Struijk] had an injury record in his CV, Joe Rodon is on four yellows.
“In an ideal situation we'd bring in a deep-lying midfielder who could also cope with the centre-back position but he needs to accept a role where the main man comes back, Ethan is first choice, and our centre-backs. He would come in to be a back-up solution, to bring his experience and teach and educate our young players. He should come in with the attitude to improve them. If a young player is struggling with the pressure with playing for a club like Leeds United, to not crack, we need a player who has experience and this mentality. This is what we're searching for. It's not easy but we have a few ideas and I'm carefully optimistic that we'll have the chance to bring a good solution in the coming days or coming two weeks."
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Hide AdFarke admitted prior to the international break that he is never a fan of signing players at the start of October and addressing the situation again on October 16 he is clear that a decision needs to come in the next fortnight. But there are other financial considerations to factor in before a signing can be confirmed.
"It won’t last a few more weeks, we won’t bring a player in at the end of November," he said. "If we make a decision it will be pretty quickly. We spoke about profile that’s important. Potential candidates can already working on their fitness level behind closed doors. We do also our homework, but we’ll just be there when a deal makes sense.
"I spoke about challenges in October and I’m not usually a big fan but the situation is a bit special and unique. Sometimes you need a Plan B and not be so strict. I think we have to be professional and check it. It would definitely be beneficial. We need a player that is convinced of his challenge and fully aware of his role here and good character. It has to be a good solution in terms of contract, too. We can’t afford to spend a fortune on this deal. There are a few boxes that have to be ticked. We’re not too far away. We want to lead this club in a sustainable way and do things out of panic in a crazy way. If we haven’t brought a player in the next two weeks then we won’t bring one."
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