The 8 players Leeds United let go in the summer – & how they’re faring elsewhere

Leeds United made some significant additions to their squad over the summer, but there was plenty of activity in the opposite direction too.

Daniel Farke oversaw a considerable clear-out at Elland Road, with several players departing permanently as Leeds looked to further consolidate their top-flight status.

But have those exits been vindicated? Here’s how the eight players Leeds let go in the summer have been performing at their new clubs.

Pascal Struijk

“As our accounts reflect, we spent every penny possible, as promised, to earn promotion and keep the club in the Premier League,” Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe wrote to supporters at the end of last season.

“Our approach to the transfer market will once again be strategic and disciplined to comply with regulations while striving further to improve, and players will both arrive and depart as a result.”

That hint was met with a bit of a gulp, as it suggested that Leeds would have to let go of a big-name player in order to comply with the league’s new Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules.

Sure enough, Struijk was a controversial departure. An academy graduate, almost 200 appearances and the best season of his Leeds career fresh in the memory. There were sound financial reasons for selling, given his age, contract and resale value, but the decision raised some debate within the fanbase.

Upgrading on Struijk with the imperious Tarik Muharemovic softened the blow. But how’s he getting on at Brighton?

Not quite a regular, and strangely absent from their Conference League campaign proper, although he’s made starts in some notable results, including the League Cup win at Manchester United and a statement 3-0 victory over Arsenal. He looks a quality addition to a squad with serious ambitions, even if a starting spot isn’t guaranteed.

Joe Gelhardt

This one felt inevitable after his value-raising stint in Hull City’s promotion last term.

The pint-sized forward had his moments at Leeds, particularly early on, but it increasingly became clear his future lay away from Elland Road.

Four of his five Premier League appearances for Hull have been off the bench since he joined them permanently, but he scored on his only start against Everton.

Gelhardt might only be a fringe player for the plucky Tigers, but he looks a useful enough addition to a squad punching above their weight in the fight for Premier League survival.

Isaac Schmidt

You always got the sense that Farke quite simply wasn’t having the Swiss left-back. A rare mis-step in the otherwise exemplary recruitment record under the 49ers.

Schmidt quietly left Elland Road to return to Switzerland after a half-decent loan stint at Werder Bremen last season.

Leeds somehow made their money back with a £2.5million sale. He’s been a regular for Young Boys, who are second in the Swiss Super League table, but already find themselves trailing nine points behind Gjanni Alioski’s Lugano.

Jack Harrison

Harrison’s departure had been on the cards for some time. He wasn’t exactly welcomed back with open arms after skipping Leeds’ Championship years for a couple of underwhelming loan spells at Everton, and did little to win supporters over after returning.

Last term’s half-season spell at Fiorentina did little to revive his fortunes, either, and he’s now returned to MLS, where he originally made his name. He’s shown some early promise at New England Revolution, with three assists in seven appearances for the high-flyers, but is yet to find the net.

Karl Darlow

“Leeds United can confirm Karl Darlow has left the club upon the expiration of his contract to pursue an opportunity elsewhere,” read a somewhat terse statement that failed to mention the experienced goalkeeper’s destination: old foes Manchester United.

The 36-year-old Wales international did well to see Leeds over the line with promotion, and was a safe pair of hands after Lucas Perri proved anything but last season.

Darlow has made one appearance for Michael Carrick’s ailing Red Devils and conceded three goals in their League Cup elimination at the hands of Struijk’s Brighton.

Illan Meslier

After suffering something of a crisis of confidence in Leeds’ promotion charge, Meslier was dropped for Darlow. He barely even sat on the bench last season, and he played a grand total of 180 minutes in the Premier League 2 for the defeats.

Signing for the champions was a bolt out of the blue, then.

He actually impressed for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners in pre-season, but like Darlow his one competitive appearance came in the League Cup.

The Frenchman didn’t cover himself in glory, conceding in their exit to League Two outfit Fleetwood Town and failing to save any of the five penalties he faced in the shootout. No Leeds fan will have been surprised to see that outcome.

Max Wober

Remember him?

The Austrian joined fallen giants Schalke as they made their return to the Bundesliga in the summer.

Most of his appearances have been cameos off the bench. It looks like it could be a long old season for Schalke, who would be doing a whole lot worse in their relegation battle if it wasn’t for the heroics of their goalkeeper.

Sam Byram

After doing far more than anyone could reasonably have expected on his return to his boyhood club, the time was probably right for Byram to depart Elland Road for a second time after he fell further down the pecking order following the club’s return to the Premier League.

Minutes have once again been limited since he joined promotion-chasing Middlesbrough, with his only start in a 3-0 League Cup defeat at Crystal Palace.

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