Leeds United have waved goodbye to eight senior players for the October international break, with three recalled after missing out on playing for their countries during the September break.
Gabriel Gudmundsson, Ilia Gruev, Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon and Jaka Bijol have all retained their places with Sweden, Bulgaria, Wales and Slovenia. Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka have returned after being injured.
Dan James has dropped out after an ankle injury. The winger is set to be sidelined until the November international break, while Brenden Aaronson is back in the USA squad after being omitted in September.
Isaac Schmidt and Charlie Crew are also involved during the break, the out-on-loan duo called up by Switzerland and Wales U21s. But Schmidt might have linked up with one of Leeds’ most in-form players.
Noah Okafor’s Switzerland omission explained by director
Following his £18m move from Milan, Okafor has scored twice for Leeds. He is the only Swiss attacker to have scored two league goals in one of Europe’s top-five leagues, and yet he has been overlooked.
Swiss newspaper Blick has published a report that includes quotes from Switzerland’s national team director Pierluigi Tami, and explains that an incident just before Euro 2024 still haunts Okafor, even now.
Tami explains: “Murat has decided in his head who will be a regular starter and who won’t. It’s important to us that everyone in the national team is happy. Regardless of what role the coach assigns them.”
Why Okafor’s behaviour has also impacted Switzerland call-up
But there is more to it. In the final friendly before Euro 2024, Blick say Okafor drew attention for his ‘bad mood’ and ‘poor training performances’. Manager Murat Yakin is keen to keep the morale in the squad.
Okafor didn’t play a single minute at Euro 2024, which was Yakin’s decision. Okafor responded by going over Yakin to speak to Tami for a meeting, which apparently has not gone down well with manager Yakin.
Ultimately, Okafor’s training professionalism is still hampering his inclusion with Switzerland, even if his form for Leeds is catching the eye. They believe that Okafor’s attitude may disrupt the harmony, now.
This is not the first time a Leeds player has been at loggerheads with a National Team manager. Ilia Gruev was front and centre of a ‘serious internal scandal’, that led to Ilian Iliev being sacked by Bulgaria.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
