Leeds United’s midfield injury crisis has led to speculation of adding a free agent to improve depth. However, Christoph Kramer is unlikely to be a viable choice.
Free agent list assessed amid Leeds transfer suggestions
Missing a number six until January is not a great position for Farke, even if Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka dominated against Sunderland on Friday.
Leeds’ free agent roster in October may not be optimal due to a five-month gap between their release in May and current status.
Christoph Kramer (33), an ex-Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder, stands out as one of the better candidates due to his extensive top-flight experience and previous links to Farke when the German was in charge at Gladbach in 22/23.
Other names include former Villarreal players Etienne Capoue and Francis Coquelin, as well as Edouard Michut, a past target.
YEP: Leeds signing of Kramer unlikely
The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Leeds are unlikely to recruit Kramer on a free transfer in the coming weeks.
This is because the 33-year-old is more inclined to stay in Germany and explore other options instead, such as television work:
“The YEP understands any Leeds approach attempting to lure the 33-year-old on a short-term deal is likely to be rejected with the player’s intention to remain in Germany where he has appeared regularly as a television pundit, following a decade-long spell with Borussia Monchengladbach.”
Free agents a risky market given the time it takes for Leeds to reap benefits
Leeds have until January to address their lack of midfield depth, and a free agent makes some sense at face value.
The difficulty is that if someone like Kramer signed tomorrow, he’d need at least a month to come up to speed, and by then, it’d be November, much closer to the window opening, and he’d still be looking for match sharpness.
It may be useful to have bodies in the door, but thankfully for Leeds, the schedule following Sheffield United is fairly favourable.
Read more at: https://sportupdates.co.uk
Leave a Reply