After every season at Leeds United, there are some changes in the team. This summer will see the Whites coming off a huge Premier League campaign after avoiding relegation.
Daniel Farke did a wonderful job with this group of players to guide them to an impressive finish in the table. No one gave Leeds a chance of surviving the league in the early weeks of the campaign.
Heading into the summer, there are some players anticipated to be leaving the club. Karl Darlow, Alex Cairns and Illan Meslier are out of contract next month, and could leave on free transfers.
Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk are entering the last year of their deals, which means not signing extensions in the summer will mean they could be sold to avoid any financial lossess.
Leeds United star hints at Elland Road stay
There are also a host of players who will return from their loan stays from other clubs. Max Wober, Isaac Schmidt, Largie Ramazani and Mateo Joseph will be on the chopping block ahead of next season.
One player who seems set to stay at Elland Road beyond the summer is Ao Tanaka. He finished the season strongly after being on the bench for most of the year.
The midfielder recently spoke on the fact that he almost chose to leave Leeds United back in January, but ultimately decided to stay. In that same interview, he hinted at a long-stay with the club.
He spoke about the Premier League goal record for Japanese internationals, and how he aims to get to the top soon.
“I want to surpass six goals soon,” Tanaka told Sport Hochi.
“First place is Kaoru Mitoma with 23 goals, second is Shinji Okazaki with 14, and third is Maya Yoshida, Takumi Minamino, and Shinji Kagawa with 6 goals each. Right now I have 2, and I want to reach 7. You can rack up playing time if you’re in the league. But no matter how many matches you play, if you don’t score, you won’t be remembered. It’s amazing how Kaoru’s goals are so incredible that the images just pop into my head.”
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Ao Tanaka has done enough to continue under Daniel Farke
From the interview, it is a great thing that Tanaka is back to enjoying his football again.
His end to the season secured his place in the Japanese national team ahead of the World Cup. Tanaka’s absence from the starting lineup earlier in the year was very baffling.
But when his chance came as the season went on, he took it and never looked back.
Daniel Farke is a coach that acknowledges when a player is motivated to perform, so Tanaka made his case clear last season.
