Whatever happened in the play-off final, there looked set to be a question mark over a raft of players on Leeds United’s books after what happened 12 months earlier.
When Leeds went down, there appeared to be a feeling that many of the players involved needed to be moved on, with the Whites squandering so much of the progress that they had made under Marcelo Bielsa.
Some clearly took what Liam Cooper said after the final game of the season very literally and jumped ship quickly, while others apparently intended to stay and try and return Leeds to English football’s top table at the first opportunity.
According to Leeds Live, two of those players who initially planned to remain at Elland Road were Max Wober and Rasmus Kristensen. Kristensen endured something of a nightmare first year with the club, while Wober became a bit of a fan favourite after simply looking competent as a defender during the second-half of the season.
Leeds yet to decide on Max Wober and Rasmus Kristensen
However, any credit the pair had in the bank evaporated when they took the opportunities to leave on loan. Wober’s departure, in particular, left his Leeds teammates feeling hurt.
Leeds Live reports that Brenden Aaronson is set to fight for his place at Leeds next season, and you have to give the American plenty of credit for that given the criticism he has received since signing.
But it is not yet clear whether Wober and Kristensen will follow in his footsteps, with the report noting that Leeds are yet to decide on what their futures hold. Wober is expected to be back at Thorp Arch before a pre-season tour of Germany.
Borussia Monchengladbach want to bring Wober back on loan, while Leeds want around £10 million for his sale. So there is clearly plenty of conversations to be had before the Austrian’s future is resolved once and for all.
Austrian can win supporters around again, but has plenty of work to do
The mistake Wober last year made was seemingly intimating that he planned to stay before he changed his mind. Had he made it clear that he was planning to leave due to Euro 2024, teammates and plenty of Leeds fans would have understood considering, especially as he had only joined in January.
But changing his mind clearly damaged his relationship with a lot of people, so it would be good if he decided to stick around and correct the mistakes he previously made.
He certainly has the playing style to win supporters over again, with some of his last-ditch defending quickly endearing him to fans after his arrival.
It will be interesting to see if he fancies the challenge of trying to prove himself again.
Receive a digest of our best Leeds content each week direct to your mailbox
