Latest Leeds United news: Transfers, Georginio Rutter, Patrick Bamford | OneFootball

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Leeds United’s preparations for a season in the third-tier after a three-year hiatus in the Premier League are not looking great, to say the least.

Only two high-profile signings have been made by Daniel Farke and his team of recruiters, with Ethan Ampadu joining from Chelsea earlier in the month and Karl Darlow linking up at Thorp Arch with August approaching. The capture of the Premier League duo is a great sign for aiming to escape second-tier life, but considering the loan exits of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and more, the Whites are looking short, especially in defence.

Add Rodrigo Moreno’s departure to Qatar into the mix, and Farke has a lot of work on his hands before he can begin to think about claiming his third Championship title as a manager, having won the accolade twice with Norwich. And as the season approaches thick and fast, Football League World takes a look at the latest news emerging from Elland Road.

Max Wober leaves on loan

Maximillian Wober only joined Leeds in January when they were a Premier League club, signing on a four-and-a-half-year deal from Red Bull Salzburg. But just 16 top-flight appearances and a relegation later, the Austrian defender has already found a move away from Yorkshire - taking refuge at Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach.

Incidentally, that is Daniel Farke’s old side, who have been keen on the 25-year-old throughout the summer and have finally landed his services on a loan basis.

Having failed to properly make the grade at Sevilla, Wober has also played for elite European side Ajax, amassing 16 caps for Austria in the process - invaluable experience for a Championship club. His exit means that Leeds have now got rid of four defenders on loan without recouping a fee at all - Wober, Kristensen, Llorente and Robin Koch.

Karl Darlow signs

Leeds struggled a lot last year with the man between the sticks. Young French shotstopper Illan Meslier became the man to don the No. 1 shirt throughout the Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch period, though when Sam Allardyce came into the fold, he was replaced by Joel Robles.

Try as he might, the Spaniard conceded 11 goals in his final four games as the Whites went down without a whimper, before departing the club at the end of the season.

In a bid to remedy their woes at the back, Farke has brought in long-serving Newcastle man Karl Darlow. After 86 appearances for Newcastle over the past nine seasons, including 34 of those when Newcastle were last in the second-tier, Darlow brings a wealth of experience to Elland Road having signed on Saturday - but now attentions must turn to fixing up the rest of the squad after the high-profile arrivals.

Bamford and Rutter injuries

Leeds’ 2-0 friendly win against Hearts at the weekend was obviously a positive in certain areas; the Whites featured players such as Archie Gray, a 17-year-old midfielder, alongside some of their first-team stars who look destined to remain at the club.

But there was bad news in the striker department. Georginio Rutter went off with a muscular injury, and having suffered from injuries throughout his time at Elland Road, Patrick Bamford went off with a hamstring injury which will rupture his plans for the start of the season. Farke must now rely on Willy Gnonto and Joe Gelhardt to lead the line should they not make Sunday's opener vs Cardiff.

Asked about Rutter's issues after the game, the Leeds boss told Leeds Live: "A muscle injury in his core. I hope it’s not too bad, we have to wait for the assessment. Too early to say something but it’s a core muscle."

On Bamford, he replied: "Yes, it seems to be like a hamstring injury. It's more or less the same. We have to wait for the assessment. So he's experienced enough and felt that something happened after the sprint and now we have to wait for the assessment."