Farke must sell Leeds flop who Marsch was “convinced” would be “great”

The January transfer window is less than a month away from officially opening for business and it remains to be seen how busy it will be for Leeds United.

Whilst there could be incoming activity amid the club’s pursuit of automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking, the Whites could trim their squad by moving on some of the fringe players.

Max Wober returned to Elland Road in the summer after spending the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach and has failed to nail down a regular spot in the team this season.

The Austria international, according to a recent report from Kurier, is one of two players RB Salzburg are looking at ahead of the January window, as the Bundesliga side could bring him back, after selling him to Leeds in January 2023.

Wober has only made three appearances and started one game in all competitions for the West Yorkshire outfit this term, and was an unused substitute in the 1-0 loss to Blackburn Rovers last time out.

The left-footed dud could be moved on, amid interest from his former club, but he is not the only Leeds player who could be on the chopping block next month.

Players Leeds could sell in January

Experienced centre-forward Patrick Bamford is a prime candidate for a January sale after a difficult start to the 2024/25 campaign, that has seen him fail to start a single league match.

Football Insider reported last month that the former England international is planning to move on from Elland Road at the end of the season, due to his lack of minutes on the pitch.

His contract does not expire until the summer of 2026, though, and Leeds must look for potential suitors in January, rather than the summer, to move him on if he does not see his future at the club.

In the same position, Joe Gelhardt is another player the Whites must consider cashing in on. He is reportedly keen to pursue a move away from Elland Road in January, amid interest from Rangers, Stoke, and Preston, among others.

It was claimed that a loan move could be in the works for the 22-year-old forward, but he has only played 12 times in the league since the start of last season and has not got close to being a regular, which suggests that it could be time to cut ties with the former Wigan man.

Wober, Gelhardt, and Bamford are not the only players who should be sold by Leeds, however, as there is another flop at the club who should be moved on, having struggled after initially being tipped to be a big success.

Jesse Marsch thought this Leeds star would be great

In the summer of 2022, former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch swooped to make a host of signings, including the likes of Luis Sinisterra, Brenden Aaronson, and Tyler Adams.

The American tactician also signed right-back Rasmus Kristensen from RB Salzburg for a reported fee of £10m to compete with Luke Ayling.

Marsch described him as a “very good Champions League full-back” and, rather boldly, stated: “I am totally convinced that he will continue to grow into a great Premier League full-back as well.”

As you can see in the table above, Kristensen arrived at Leeds off the back of a very solid season in the Bundesliga and the Champions League with Salzburg.

He won the majority of his defensive duels and won possession back for his side frequently across both competitions, whilst also chipping in with plenty of contributions in the final third at league level.

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Unfortunately, however, Kristensen was unable to make the step up to the Premier League to replicate that level of form in England, and struggled in his debut season with Leeds in the 2022/23 campaign, and Daniel Farke must finally cash in on him now.

Why Leeds must sell Rasmus Kristensen

The Whites were relegated to the Championship under Sam Allardyce, who came in after Javi Gracia and Marsch were both sacked, and Kristensen was one of a number of players who failed to make the grade in the top-flight that term.

Marsch was ‘convinced’ that the Danish defender would be a ‘great’ Premier League full-back, but that turned out to be far from the case for the right-footed flop.

Kristensen was dribbled past 1.3 times per game across 26 appearances in the division, which shows that opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him down the flank.

He also completed just 69% of his attempted passes and won 54% of his duels in the Premier League, as the Dane was unable to showcase his strength to the same level as he did with Salzburg.

Kristensen was, therefore, a liability in and out of possession with his loose passing and his suspect defending, which contributed to Leeds being relegated from the league.

The 27-year-old dud was sent out on loan to Roma, where he started 19 of 29 league appearances, before joining Frankfurt on loan for the current campaign.

As you can see in the table above, Kristensen has, once again, struggled to stop opposition forwards from getting the better of him down the flank in the Bundesliga for Franfkurt.

His duel success rate and pass accuracy has improved in comparison to his Premier League showings, but his continued as a one-on-one defender suggests that he would have similar issues if the Whites brought him back into the fold.

Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg claimed in October that Frankfurt want to sign him permanently, and Farke must finally bin the Marsch flop, who has not turned out to be as ‘great’ as predicted.

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Moving him on in January on a permanent basis could also provide funds, in theory, for Leeds to bolster their squad ahead of the second half of the season, if they wish to do so.