Following a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal, Leeds United are reportedly in talks to sanction the departure of a player who earns over £900,000 a year at Elland Road.
Farke: Arsenal thrashing not “season-defining”
Daniel Farke could have counted on one hand the amount of Premier League fans that expected Leeds to head to Arsenal and secure a shock victory, such is the difficulty for newly-promoted sides against the top six.
It was always likely to be the ruthless welcome back to the top flight that Everton were unable to hand the Whites, but Farke was quick to claim that their 5-0 defeat was far from “season-defining”.
“Yes, I think it’s fair to say that Arsenal deserved to win this game today. They were the better side. They deserved also to win this game with a good proper goal difference.
“It’s always a difficult game for a newly promoted side. I think you could feel this in the first 10 minutes, they were all over us, we were a bit nervous, but we survived this period without giving one chance away.
“Then we got a foot into the game, got more and more confident, had good situations also for counter-attacks. After 35 minutes, we had probably the best chance in the game with Pascal Struijk’s header and the fantastic save of David Raya.
“We accept that they were the better team today, they deserved to win this game and for us it’s not a season-defining game.”
Whilst their trip to the Emirates should be one that Leeds learn from, they should also move on quickly and prepare for both Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup and then Newcastle United’s visit to Elland Road next weekend.
As they look to return to winning ways, however, they may have to do so without one attacking player who could be heading to La Liga before the end of the transfer window.
Valencia in talks to sign Ramazani
According to Sacha Tavolieri, Valencia are now in talks to sign Largie Ramazani on loan from Leeds this month. The winger was left out of Farke’s squad to face Arsenal after the German opted to pick other options.
Now, he could leave on loan to the La Liga club, managed by former Marcelo Bielsa assistant Carlos Corberan, who could reportedly cover his £910,000-a-year salary and have a buy option included in their deal.
Since then, reports from Spain have claimed the 24-year-old has ‘fully agreed terms’ with the La Liga side. After just one season at the club, Ramazani’s time at Leeds looks destined to come to a swift end this month.
The fact that the winger was left out of Farke’s squad to face Arsenal was never a good sign, even though the Leeds boss told reporters when questioned about that decision: “It was just due to the decision about Noah Okafor, not against Largie.”