Daniel Farke may have just explained the exact reasons behind Leeds United’s failure to win the race for Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.
Rak-Sakyi featured on a list of targets put together by Leeds in their hunt for Crysencio Summerville’s replacement, but can now effectively be crossed off.
Leeds were among a host of Championship clubs keen to sign him on loan but are instead set to lose out to Sheffield United, which has felt like his favoured destination for some time.
As a way of trying to blow the race wide open, Leeds even made a £15 million permanent offer for the 21-year-old, however Crystal Palace have no intention of selling him.
Rak-Sakyi could be announced as a new Sheffield United player as early as today, forcing Leeds to turn their attentions elsewhere in the hunt for another winger.
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Farke drops major Rak-Sakyi hint
Leeds have been linked with a number of Premier League loans over the summer, but have so far struggled to get deals over the line.
On top of Rak-Sakyi, Hugo Bueno is another example of that, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers left-back instead opting for a move to Feyenoord.
With Leeds still in the market for three new signings before the end of the window, Farke was asked in his pre-Middlesbrough press conference earlier today about his feelings on loans.
Though Farke did suggest it was a market they are looking at, he made it very clear he will always prefer permanent transfers as he will never guarantee new players game time, which looks as though it has proven decisive in the Rak-Sakyi race.
He said: “Yes, but if you ask me, a permanent signing is always better because the player is then fully committed and our player to develop. Loan market can be tricky. Some players are not guaranteed to play, which makes it difficult.
“Prem loans come here to get game time. If you cannot guarantee, a loan does not make sense for some players. Would prefer a permanent signing because they are committed through difficult phases. Loan market is an option and we will not fall asleep.
“We have a strong squad, so sometimes a you can’t guarantee minutes. As long as I am in charge, this will always be the case. For me, it’s not about salaries, CVs or transfer sums, or how highly a player is valued on Transfermarkt.
“Names are not important but what you deliver on the training pitch, in games, what you show in the dressing room. It’s never a guarantee whoever I bring in that he plays.”
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Farke shares if Leeds are close to new signings
It has been 24 days since Leeds last made a signing and in every press conference between now and the end of the window, Farke is going to be asked about transfers.
Just like last Thursday, Farke remained pretty coy on the situation and reiterated the need to be patient to find the right players.
He said: “Totally calm, no panic. We have a really good base to work with, we can’t afford to spend a fortune. We need good quality. We have to be careful because we have a closed group, has to tick all the boxes.
“New signings need to be affordable, have the right personality, attitude. We are working hard behind the scenes, I can’t confirm anything right now but we’ll see what happens over the next couple of weeks.”
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