West Brom boss names two Leeds United 'solutions' to Georginio Rutter exit as Daniel Farke 'mistake' addressed

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Carlos Corberan welcomes Daniel Farke's Leeds United to the Hawthorns on Saturday.

Carlos Corberan believes Wilfried Gnonto and Brenden Aaronson can both fill the gap set to be left by Georginio Rutter as his West Brom side prepare to host Leeds United on Saturday.

Leeds head to the Hawthorns after a rather miserable week in which they were knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a far-superior Middlesbrough before facing the prospect of losing their talisman. Brighton and Hove Albion triggered Georginio’s £40million release clause late on Wednesday evening and despite the club’s best efforts to keep him, another major exit was all but confirmed by Daniel Farke on Thursday.

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The loss of last season’s creator-in-chief is a major blow for Leeds, especially after seeing top-scorer Crysencio Summerville join West Ham a fortnight ago, and morale is low after the season started with two poor results. Reinforcements are expected before August 30 but Corberan is wary of the talent Farke can still call on at the Hawthorns.

“Rutter has been an important player for them last year? One hundred per cent because they brought him in the Premier League and probably he was too young to impact at that level when he signed in January,” Corberan told The Express And Star. “Now a Premier League club has interest and I don’t know what is going to happen. If he doesn’t play you have Aaronson, another Premier League player in my opinion, or Gnonto, another Premier League player and international with Italy. They have solutions.”

Pressure already seems to be increasing as Leeds go in search of their first win, and a flat performance during Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough was cause for concern - although Farke suggested the late bid for Rutter had an impact on the squad. Three points were expected at home to Portsmouth on the opening weekend but in the end, Aaronson’s 95th-minute effort salvaged just a point.

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But Corberan - who spent three years at Leeds, a portion of which came as part of Marcelo Bielsa’s backroom staff - has seen both performances in a different light. And the Albion boss has warned his players to expect one of the Championship’s best teams to turn up on Saturday.

“When you see their game against Portsmouth, Portsmouth’s accuracy was probably 100 per cent, the three chances they scored,” the Baggies boss added. “Leeds’ accuracy was 20 or 30 per cent. When this happens, sometimes they happen in football.

“Is that a Farke mistake? No way. They were too close (to a winner). In the cup they had more of the ball and chances, but suffered in transitions in the same level we suffered against Fleetwood. They were dominant, but when you are dominant you need to be balanced and not unbalanced. I expect a stronger Leeds than the Leeds that was playing against Middlesbrough.

“The fact they could keep some Premier League players last year probably affected them to lose some this year, but I think they are one of the two best squads in the Championship right now. Analysing now, probably Burnley, Leeds and Sheffield (United), and probably Luton after relegation... but I don’t think Leeds is at the back (of that group) in terms of quality players, they are not behind the three relegated teams.”

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