With the FIFA international break over, club football is back, and so are the concerns over Leeds United’s midfield injury crisis. The Whites likely breathed a sigh of relief that Ao Tanaka is returning without injury, but the question of depth remains at the forefront.
Several reports have linked former Nottingham Forest veteran Cheikhou Kouyaté, but there’s conflicting information about whether a deal will be reached between the two sides. Nonetheless, there was another intriguing target who remains a free agent: Christoph Kramer.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke has a connection with Kramer having coached the player during his stint with Borussia Mönchengladbach. Nonetheless, with the Kouyaté rumors not providing anything concrete, many will wonder if Leeds could revisit this file and if Farke could persuade the player to head to England’s second tier.
Transfer update on Leeds’ interest in Christoph Kramer
While some are hopeful Kramer will reunite with Farke, one journalist notes that this file should be discarded. According to the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Joe Donnohue, the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner is unlikely to reunite with his former manager at Leeds despite the club’s immediate need for midfield reinforcements.
“Looking at the list of complimentary agents available, there’s not a great deal of them who you think could potentially come in,” Donnohue told the YEP’s Inside Elland Road podcast last week. “I spoke to people in Germany about Christoph Kramer, who obviously won the World Cup with Germany in 2014, played under Farke during the 2022-23 season at Borussia Monchengladbach but left this summer, mutually terminated his contract after it became obvious he wasn’t going to play.
“He’s had his injury issues. As far as I’m aware, I’ve been told he hasn’t been involved in a professional setting since leaving his Monchengladbach contract and his preference is supposedly to remain in Germany. He’s got punditry work where apparently he’s made a good impression.
“He’s 33-years-old. Ultimately, how much of an impact would he have if he were persuaded to come and join Daniel Farke? People I spoke to in Germany certainly can’t see it happening, or it being a likely one. You never rule things out in football but it’s not one I think is likely.”