As the Championship campaign approaches it’s halfway stage, this feels like as good a time as any to step back, take stock, and draw a few midseason conclusions about Leeds United and co.
Sitting top of the table heading into the final matchday of 2025 – Joel Piroe inspired Leeds to a 2-0 win at Stoke while Sheffield United lost to Burnley last time out – how many of Daniel Farke’s summer arrivals can be considered a genuine success?
Joe Rodon, certainly. Ao Tanaka has blossomed in the centre of the park too, while Manor Solomon produced his finest Leeds performance yet in the 4-0 trouncing of Oxford at Elland Road. Joe Rothwell’s influence is growing too, while Jayden Bogle is striking up quite the partnership with Dan James down the right-hand side.
In fact, with neither Isaac Schmidt nor Joshua Guilovogui featuring often enough to really warrant a verdict at this stage, this feels like the first summer in a while in which none of Leeds’ new additions can realistically be labelled a dud.
That is certainly not the case, however, when shifting focus to those Leeds let go.
Kristoffer Klasson Poland’s ‘worst’ goalkeeper after Leeds United exit
Glen Kamara is already being linked with a move to Sunderland after struggling to make his mark at Rennes. Speaking of Sunderland, injuries have restricted Ian Carlo Poveda to only 44 minutes of football on Wearside.
And, looking further afield, Kristoffer Klaesson’s brief and extremely unhappy stint at Rakow Czestochowa has the Polish press queuing up to label the goalkeeper one of the biggest flops of 2024 in the Ekstraklasa.
Gol24 go as far as to label Klaessen ‘the worst goalkeeper’ in the Polish top-flight.
Now, that is maybe a little unfair. How can you label Klaessen the worst keeper in the league without him playing even a single minute? Well, that in itself was the problem.
The Oslo-born 24-year-old saw his contract rescinded at Rakow after a matter of weeks, and before he had even made his debut, amid concerns over his conditioning and rumours of an ill-advised trip to McDonalds, per Przeglad Sportowy.
A spell reminiscent, Gol24 say, of Grandpa Simpson’s famously brief visit to the Maison Derriere.
“An exceptional parodist,” Gol24 write. “He entered our Ekstraklasa like one of the Simpsons; he entered and immediately left.
“In July, he signed a three-year contract, only to leave in August due to a scandal. Maybe it’s a good thing.”
Maybe indeed.
Kacper Trelowski established himself in Klaesson’s place, impressing to such an extent that he was handed his first call-up for the Polish national team in October.
Tylko Ekstraklasa, meanwhile, label Klaesson the ‘worst signing’ of the summer.
Uwe Rosler comes to Klaesson’s rescue with Denmark switch
iGol feel that much of the blame must be placed on the shoulders of Samuel Cardenas. A former scout at Southampton, Schalke and Gent, Cardenas arrived at Rakow after helping unearth a host of talented youngsters such as the now-Lyon striker Gift Orban.
Cardenas would pay with his sporting director’s job, however, shortly after the Klaesson catastrophe.
“Oh, Samuel Cardenas’ transfers… How could a guy who brought players like Gift Orban to Gent bring a slacker like Kristoffer Klaesson to Poland?,” iGol ask. “The Norwegian with a past at Leeds was supposed to fight for the number one shirt.”
Marek Papszun, Rakow’s head coach, would explain that ‘expectations on both sides didn’t work out’ with Klaesson. Talk about an understatement.
At least Klaesson could rely on former Leeds coach Uwe Rosler to come to his rescue. Rosler offered the Norwegian a return to Scandinavia in September, signing the goalkeeper on a short-term contract.
Klaesson has featured in only one of out ten AGF matches so far, though, and clearly his reputation will take a lot buffing before that disastrous stint in Poland can be forgotten.
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