Leeds United have added two centre-backs to their ranks already this summer in Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw, both giving clear indications where Max Wöber’s long-term future lies, having now left the club.
Leeds have two transfer objectives to tick off this summer when preparing for the Premier League, the first being to add the right amount of quality to the starting lineup to win matches, and the second being that they need to add depth to the squad to ensure consistency across 38 games.
Daniel Farke didn’t have great depth at centre-back during his two seasons in the Championship, forced to use Ethan Ampadu as a makeshift centre-back, albeit to good effect, but it’s a selection he won’t be able to get away with in the Premier League.
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Leeds United complete £5.14m signing of towering centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw
On Monday, it had been revealed that Leeds were close to completing a deal to sign centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw from Wolfsburg.
The fee in question was reported by Graham Smyth as standing at £5.14million, with a medical taking place that day.
(REUTERS/Andreas Gebert)
Bornauw joins Leeds as the third signing of the summer and the second at centre-back off the back of Jaka Bijol’s £15million arrival from Udinese.
Leeds United exit agreed for Max Wöber after Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw signings
Leeds spending just over £20million on two new centre-backs is a smart way to address depth and starting quality in a crucial position, but it does have an impact on those that were part of Leeds’ promotion triumph.
For one, Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk’s undisputed starting spots are under threat, perhaps more so with Struijk than the Welshman due to fitness concerns.
Secondly, it pushed Max Wöber to the exit, as he was always heading out of the door, something the Austrian had already confirmed during international duty last month:
“Leeds has already made it clear to me that they want to sell me,” Wober said to Krone.
The 27-year-old has signed for Werder Bremen, but having been set for a sale at a reported £3.4million fee, he’s off on loan againz
It does virtually signal the end to two-and-a-half years at the club though, where a decent chunk of that was spent on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach thanks to his loan clause, meaning he’s not heading out with the well wishes of the fanbase as Junior Firpo did.
Leeds’ brutal stance to tell Wöber immediately after promotion that he’s surplus to requirements says a lot not only about how he’s viewed at Elland Road after his loan, but also how the club intend to improve at the back.
With four centre-backs on the books in Struijk, Rodon, Bijol, and Bornauw, Leeds have seemingly completed their Premier League restoration of a crucial position.
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