Leeds United’s summer recruitment was supposed to give Daniel Farke more options as the club prepared for the demands of another Premier League campaign.
However, not every arrival has gone according to plan, and questions are emerging about whether everyone at Elland Road shared the same expectations for certain signings.
One transfer in particular has attracted scrutiny after the player struggled to get meaningful minutes on the pitch.
The situation has also prompted questions about the relationship between the manager and those responsible for recruitment, with a former transfer insider suggesting there may be more to the story than simply a young player struggling to adapt.
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Brown questions Farke’s stance on Bahoya
Mick Brown believes a disconnect may exist between Farke and the Leeds hierarchy over Jean-Matteo Bahoya, whose lack of involvement has become a talking point.
The French youngster arrived with potential, but his opportunities have been limited to brief appearances. Brown was particularly surprised by Farke’s comments about the winger and questioned why Leeds had signed him if the manager was not prepared to use him.
“It was strange for Daniel Farke to come out with everything he said about Jean-Matteo Bahoya”, Brown told Football Insider.
“If he’s got a player there and he can’t answer questions about why he’s not playing, why is he there? If he’s not going to be playing and the manager doesn’t rate him, why bring him in?
“You assume Leeds have brought him in because they’ve seen some potential in him, but if he’s playing three minutes here and there, he’s never going to show that.”
Leeds recruitment concerns raised
Brown went further, suggesting the situation could point towards disagreements behind the scenes between Farke and the club’s recruitment department.
“It seems to me there is some sort of disconnect from the manager and the board; they obviously disagree, and that’s never a good thing when it comes to signing players,” he said.
He argued that recruitment should be built around the manager’s requirements, but questioned whether that had happened in Bahoya’s case.
“The board think this is a player who can make a difference; he has potential, and he can be a good asset, but the manager doesn’t think he’s good enough to play.”
Brown then questioned whether everyone at Leeds was still working towards the same objectives.
“Is everybody pulling in the same direction there? I wouldn’t be sure any more because these are basic things; there is clearly some sort of disconnect or misunderstanding.”
Leeds will have to buy Bahoya if he makes a certain number of appearances. However, Farke doesn’t seem convinced the forward will hit the targets needed to trigger that obligation to buy.
