Leeds United recruit has 'potential' to get better according to Daniel Farke

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke believes new signing Isaac Schmidt has a lot of ‘potential’. The Whites’ recent recruit has been backed to get better in the future by his new manager following his move over to England.

The defender made the switch to England from FC St. Gallen in Switzerland. He penned a four-year deal at Elland Road running until 2028.

Leeds will see the 24-year-old full-back as someone to add more competition to their defensive department. He has been handed the number 33 shirt by his new club.

Speaking ahead of the Whites’ clash against Burnley, Farke has delivered his verdict on the former Switzerland youth international: “Great guy, still a really good age, on his way up the hill in his career. Desperate to play for the shirt, great mentality. The lads love him already, but you have to keep a bit in mind, he has not played in one of the top five leagues in Europe.

“The Premier League for me is the best in the world, but the Championship is the toughest with the load and physicality. We will give him time to adapt to this. We have some proper options in the full-back position. He’s an important squad player, we will bring him to the door, work with him, lift his potential and it’s up to him to grab it with both hands. He has lots of potential and also a great mentality, character, lots of competition for him.”

Schmidt rose up through the academy ranks at Lausanne-Sport and was a regular for them at various different youth levels. He initially broke into their B team in 2016 before he was handed his first professional deal in 2019.

The Lausanne-born man went on to play 15 times for his local team as a youngster before St. Gallen came calling for him in 2021. He then made 105 appearances for his previous club altogether and scored seven goals from the back.

After signing for Leeds, he admitted it was always his dream to move to England: “I'm really happy! First of all, because it was my dream to come to England and especially to play for a big club like Leeds United. It's like a big dream for me. 

“I think that the club matches with my personality and also a club that matches with my values and matches what I think about clubs.  It's a club that has big fans, it’s like a big family and that's what I like about clubs.  I want to have great moments between the fans, the players, also the staff, all the people who work for the club.”

Schmidt is versatile and can operate in a variety of position, as well as his usual full-back role: “I can play in every position because I know how to play in all positions, because I can think in many ways. And that's what I love about football, not to think in one way, to experiment, to know how to do everything. 

"So I just want to enjoy the first days, look how it is, look how the people are. It's my first time outside of Switzerland for me, so it's kind of cool because I will experiment with something new.”