Leeds United should combat any Max Wober exit with Chelsea deal: View | OneFootball

FLW outline the reasons why Leeds United should look to replace Max Wober with Chelsea's Bashir Humphreys.

Highlights

Leeds United have been linked to Chelsea's Bashir Humphreys recently, and should be looking to sign the defender amid talk of Max Wöber's potential exit.

Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke has detailed that there is a "strong possibility" that the 26-year-old Austrian could leave Elland Road in the coming weeks, with the centre-back behind Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk in the centre-back pecking order.

Wöber was one of several first-teamers to secure loan exits from Elland Road during the summer window last year after he activated the loan clause in his contract and moved to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga after just six months at Leeds.

Max Wober linked with exit from Leeds

The Austrian defender had only joined the Whites in January 2023 for a fee of around £10 million from RB Salzburg. However, according to recent reports, Leeds will listen to offers for Wöber in this window as he no longer features in Farke’s plans for the new season. A move is "seen as best for all parties", and the Whites will allow him to leave if they receive an appropriate offer.

Despite some positive noises earlier in the summer, many Leeds fans felt as though there remains every chance that he leaves the club should they receive a viable transfer offer this summer. None have been forthcoming so far, but his stock remains intact after a decent season in the Bundesliga.

Wöber is also behind Struijk and Rodon in the pecking order, and Junior Firpo in the same regard at left-back. Therefore, Leeds should already be in search of cover at both full-back and centre-back in the final three weeks of the transfer window, but Wöber's exit would make such acquisitions even more paramount before it closes.

He can operate as both a left-back and central defender, so the club would either need to recruit two players in each respective position, or another player that can be utilised in either role in Leeds' defence. One of the biggest issues with currently having Wöber as a substitute is that he is on a Premier League wage, which is not justifiable if he only manages 1000-2000 minutes of football this season.

Cashing in to generate some funds, whilst also getting his wage off the books, would open the door for Leeds to fill the gap with a cheaper player on a much more realistic wage for the bench. He may have started against Middlesbrough in the 3-0 cup defeat, but his departure has an air of inevitability to it as the window draws to a close after he was substituted on 63 minutes.

Leeds United links to Bashir Humphreys

According to Fabrizio Romano, Championship duo Leeds and Burnley are keen on signing the defender this summer. Not only that, but Nizaar Kinsella of the BBC is reporting that it is also understood that Leeds are not prioritising a centre-back signing at this stage of the transfer window, but could line up a move for Humphreys if a player in his position is sold.

Wöber is not explicitly named, but it's speculative to assume that Humphreys is the contingency plan for if he departs West Yorkshire. Although it's highly likely that he is a worse player at this stage in his career when compared to Wöber, Humphreys would not eat up as much of the wage budget, and is a developing player, thus he would not be demanding of the same minutes as an Austrian international with plenty of top-flight pedigree.

Not only would he cost less in both transfer fee terms and wage terms, but he is a more versatile defender, having played as a left-back and centre-back in both a back three and back four in his young career, whilst also filling in at right-back on occasion despite being left-footed.

That's because he is more two-footed than Wöber, so he could be trusted in such a role in an emergency. That positional versatility would be extremely useful to Leeds, but would also see Humphreys get plenty of regular first-team action when called upon across the backline.

The 21-year-old may lack some of the physical traits to be considered as a starter for Leeds in their best XI right now, but he is comfortable on the ball, which means filling in for Struijk would be very natural to him and has plenty of potential and upside in the long-term.

Humphreys has Struijk-like required composure and progressive passing abilities to dominate the ball and matches for Daniel Farke. His defensive abilities are still improving all the time but his real upside comes through his ball-progression in a dominant side, having shown plenty of that side to his game at Swansea City.

It is understood that Chelsea’s preference is a full sale, rather than another loan move, but it remains to be seen what kind of deal the two clubs will pursue. Leeds and Burnley also face competition from the Bundesliga, with a decision over his future needed before the August 30th transfer deadline.

Realistically, striking a deal for Humphreys and selling Wöber is the best thing for all parties involved currently, and for a multitude of reasons from Leeds' perspective as well.