Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder labels Daniel Farke claim 'fabrication' amid Leeds United transfer battle

Chris Wilder has hit out at claims his Sheffield United side won the race for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi after guaranteeing game-time.

Rak-Sakyi’s season-long loan move to Bramall Lane was confirmed earlier this summer, with Sheffield United staving off competition from several Championship rivals for the young winger’s signature. Among his admirers were Leeds United but despite reports, Elland Road recruitment chiefs aren’t thought to have seriously pursued the 21-year-old amid concerns over Crystal Palace’s demands.

Premier League clubs often seek assurances over regular game-time when sending a young player on loan and that is an avenue Leeds simply will not take, with Daniel Farke not prepared to essentially demote a current first-team player to the bench. And the Whites boss admitted as much earlier this month.

“A loan from the Premier League usually only comes for game-time,” Farke said. “We have a strong squad, so sometimes you can’t guarantee minutes. Names are not important but what you deliver on the training pitch, in games, what you show in the dressing room. It’s never a guarantee whoever I bring in that he plays.”

Farke did not explicitly name Rak-Sakyi within his answer but spoke of his reluctance to guarantee minutes as Sheffield United were finalising the winger’s loan move. And the wider suggestion of providing assurances over game-time was picked up by Wilder, who sternly defended his club’s stance.

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“Jes has come here to play football, but there are no guarantees,” An irked Wilder told The Star on Friday. “I know another club put out there, to cover themselves, that we signed a guarantee that Jes played a certain amount of games. Absolute fabrication. There's another word I'd like to use that I'm not sure I'll be allowed to.”

Leeds’ reluctance to guarantee minutes has been a stumbling block in attracting previous targets and remained a concern amid interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back Hugo Bueno, who has since joined Feyenoord. It is also thought to have killed any January interest in Fabio Carvalho, who spent the second-half of last season on loan at Championship rivals Hull City.

Having sold Crysencio Summerville to West Ham for £25million-plus, Elland Road chiefs were evidently keen on securing a more permanent option out wide with interest in Norwich City’s Jonathan Rowe emerging shortly after the Dutchman’s exit. Leeds eventually turned focus away from Rowe, who will soon join Marseille in a deal worth £17m, and confirmed the £10m arrival of Largie Ramazani from UD Almeria on Thursday evening.

They remain in the market for another attacker to replace Brighton-bound Georginio Rutter, with the YEP’s Inside Elland Road newsletter revealing interest in SC Freiburg’s Roland Sallai on Wednesday. Farke is also keen on adding cover in central midfield and at full-back, but there is just one week of the transfer window remaining.