Leeds United defender Isaac Schmidt is finally cutting his ties with Leeds United after failing to live up to expectations at Elland Road.
It says a lot that a time when Leeds are looking for a left-footed left-back, they are selling one to Young Boys.
The Whites were in the Championship when they signed the now-26-year-old for around in August 2024. He had already played in Champions League qualifiers that season for St Gallen. The fee was around £2.5m.
But Schmidt never made a league start for them and despite being left-footed, had more impact at right-back. In all he played 14 times for the club.
Last season he was loaned to Werder Bremen, where he made 19 appearances but only six were Bundesliga starts.
Now the Swiss international, who was left out of his country's World Cup squad, is returning to his homeland.
Transfers are always a gamble and not all can be expected to come off, so given the relatively low cost, Schmidt's cane hardly be said to have been a disaster but good housekeeping is more important than ever with financial fair play an increasingly vital consideration, and Leeds are expected to recoup most of their transfer fee.
Leeds would also like to sell another left-footed defender they loaned to Werder Bremen despite also being in the market for a centre-back or two of that profile. But with injuries restricted Max Wober to only three Bremen appearances last season – with his only start against second-division opposition in the German cup – and the 28-year-old in the final 12 months of a four-year Elland Road contract, that may be difficult.
MOVING ON: Isaac Schmidt has joined Young Boys (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)placeholder image
MOVING ON: Isaac Schmidt has joined Young Boys (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
But Leeds have agreed a £34m transfer fee in principle with Sassuolo for Tarik Muharemovic, their 6ft 4in left-footed Bosnian central defender who would replace Pascal Struijk, who left for Brighton and Hove Albion for around £20m.
Muharemovic started three of Bosnia Herzegovina's four World Cup games, but missed the other after being red-carded in the 4-1 defeat to Switzerland.