Daniel Farke has explained the current Leeds United situation with goalkeeper Lucas Perri after a summer difficulty and his clear current no 2 thoughts.
Brazilian keeper Perri joined Leeds from Lyon last summer at a cost of £16m to become the club’s new no 1 and the 28-year-old stayed ever-present between the sticks when fit until Farke made a big change in January.
After a series of errors, Perri was replaced in goal by Karl Darlow who played every minute of United’s final 12 league games, Perri’s game-time then restricted to outings in the FA Cup.
Darlow ultimately departed the club this summer as his contract expired, Leeds on the hunt for a new 1 and Darlow eventually joining Manchester United on a free transfer as Red Devils back-up.
With Illan Meslier also leaving the club and then joining Arsenal as back up keeper, Leeds were left with just two senior keepers in Perri and Alex Cairns as the club’s quest to sign a new no 1 continued.
The search for a new no 1 was then ended in record breaking style as Leeds signed James Trafford from Manchester City for a club record fee of £40m plus add-ons, Perri reportedly set to join Torino upon Trafford becoming new first choice.
It was reported that Perri’s exit had been held up by an injury and Alex Cairns started United’s friendlies until Trafford got up and running but Perri was back in the Leeds matchday squad for Saturday’s Premier League opener at Nottingham Forest as the back up keeper on the bench.
Leeds have been looking at signing a new no 2, Eintracht Frankfurt stopper Michael Zetterer the latest keeper United are known to be keen on.
Farke, though, says Perri is the club’s no 2 as it stands, United’s manager explaining that the Brazilian had experienced a particularly difficult summer due to his injury and that speculation for a keeper of Perri’s calibre would be natural in the final week of a transfer window.
Asked if Perri would be moving on or if he could stay to provide cover and competition to Trafford, Farke said: “Lucas is a really good goalkeeper and a really good character as well.
"He has played also several games last season also once we then had more or less the change that Karl played in the Premier League.
"He had also some really, really good performances, especially in the cup competition.
"It's also normal that he has his thoughts and is perhaps also thinking about what to do for the future”
"There's always lots of speculation, of course, in the last days of this transfer window and also for a player of his calibre who was also signed more or less as a number one.
"It's also normal that he has his thoughts and is perhaps also thinking about what to do for the future and you can't rule anything out.
"But he's currently under contract for us.
"He had of a bit difficult pre-season because he came back and he was then injured also for two and a half weeks and not in team training, especially for his position and also like for his stature.
"It's not like, okay, one training session you and then you're fully back so for that he missed more or less nearly all of our pre-season games or nearly all of our pre-season games and for that, Alex Cairns was fantastic, I have to say.
"He's an unbelievable guy anyway and played some really good games.
"But for me, it was clear after Lucas was back more or less in team training for around ten days that he would then be on the bench because obviously James Trafford is our number one and then Lucas our number two and this is how it stands.
"What will happen in the future we have to wait to see."