Leeds United manager Daniel Farke had to deal with a host of changes to his playing squad during the summer transfer window, which slammed shut last month.
The German head coach had to watch on as a number of his key players from the 2023/24 campaign were sold, following on from the club’s failure to secure promotion.
A 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Wembley in the play-off final in May, after the Whites had finished third in the Championship during the regular season, consigned them to another year in the second tier.
Unfortunately, that meant that Glen Kamara, Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, and Georginio Rutter all decided that their respective futures were elsewhere, as they sealed moves to Rennes, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Those exits did, however, allow Farke to dip into the market to bolster his squad with the additions of Largie Ramazani, Manor Solomon, Joe Rodon, Ao Tanaka, Isaac Schmidt, and Jayden Bogle, among others.
Despite all of those signings, two players already at the club have been among the top performers in the final third for Leeds – Joel Piroe and Mateo Joseph.
How much Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe earn
Both players are reportedly on £15k-per-week in the current squad and both sit within the bottom seven earners at the club, with back-up goalkeeper Alex Cairns the lowest earner at £5k-per-week.
Despite their relatively low wages, Piroe currently leads the team for goals and Joseph leads the team for assists in the Championship so far this season.
The latter has emerged as the first-choice centre-forward for Leeds this term and has caught the eye with his creative quality from the number nine position.
Appearances
6
Goals
1
Big chances created
4
Assists
3
Dribbles completed per game
1.0
As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old marksman has only scored one goal in six games but has made up for that by creating four ‘big chances’ for his teammates.
Meanwhile, Piroe is the joint-top scorer in the side, along with Brenden Aaronson, with two goals in six appearances, despite starting one game, thanks to his goals off the bench against Hull and Cardiff.
These statistics suggest that Leeds are currently getting great value for money from two of their lowest earners. Meanwhile, Farke must be looking to ditch Max Wober, who has not done enough to justify his place in the wage structure.
How much Max Wober earns
The Austria international is reportedly on £35k-per-week at Elland Road and is within the top nine earners in the squad, following his return to the club this summer after a loan spell with Borussia Monchengladbach, which means that he earns more than Joseph and Piroe combined (£30k-per-week).
Despite being the ninth-highest earner at Leeds, Wober has not made a single appearance in the Championship this season and has been an unused substitute in three league matches.
His only appearance of the 2024/25 campaign, to date, came in the 3-0 loss to Middlesbrough at Elland Road in the League Cup, as he played 63 minutes alongside Rodon at centre-back.
The left-sided defender lost 100% of his aerial duels and did not do enough to convince Farke that he was ready for minutes in the Championship, as dud was left on the bench in the next two league games.
Rodon and Pascal Struijk have been preferred ahead of him in the centre-back positions so far this season, with the former taking the spot on the left side of the pairing.
The Dutchman’s performances in the second tier have been impressive and it does not appear as though Wober is likely to get a chance any time soon, barring injury or suspension.
Appearances
6
Pass accuracy
92%
Clean sheets
4
Ground duel success rate
53%
Aerial duel success rate
68%
As you can see in the table above, the former Ajax youngster has helped Leeds to keep four clean sheets in six league matches, whilst dominating opposition players on the deck and in the air.
Therefore, Farke should be looking to cash in on Wober in the upcoming January transfer window, as he is one of the top earners at the club and is not contributing to the team on the pitch.
Money wasted for Leeds
At the start of the January transfer window in 2023, former Whites head coach Jesse Marsch swooped to sign the central defender from RB Salzburg for a reported fee of £11m.
He had already worked with Marsch, and played alongside Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, during his time in Austria, and was tasked with making the step up to the Premier League.
The West Yorkshire side were relegated from the top-flight that season, as the 26-year-old centre-back was unable to help them avoid the drop.
Appearances
16
Clean sheets
2
Error led to shot
1
Penalties committed
1
Duel success rate
53%
As you can see in the table above, Wober made two direct errors in 16 appearances and only helped the team to keep two clean sheets in that time, whilst barely winning the majority of his physical duels.
The Austrian flop did not opt to remain at Elland Road and fight for promotion from the Championship last season. Instead, he opted to sign for Borussia Monchengladbach on loan in the Bundesliga.
Wober played 25 matches in the German top-flight during the 2023/24 campaign but did not do enough to convince them to pull out all the stops to sign him permanently this summer.
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This meant that the left-footed dud remained at Leeds, instead of leaving for the second summer in succession, and now he is wasting away on the bench.
Therefore, the Whites have currently sunk £11m down the drain, along with his £35k-per-week wages, because Wober is not contributing on the pitch. This is why Farke must push him out of the door and cash in on the flop in the upcoming January transfer window.
