With one eye on sealing automatic promotion and another on the summer transfer market, Leeds United and the 49ers are reportedly poised to join the race to sign a new midfielder from the Austrian Bundesliga.
Leeds face crucial five-game run
In the space of a week, Leeds have seen their automatic promotion chances thrown into serious doubt for the first time in months to reclaiming their place at the top of the Championship – summing up the drama of England’s second division.
Victory against Middlesbrough last time out would have come as a huge relief for those in Yorkshire, who must now make it two wins in the space of a week when they play host to Preston North End on Saturday afternoon.
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With just one game against one of the Championship’s top six coming up in their five fixtures, Leeds should be full of confidence that the league title and automatic promotion will be theirs for the taking in the coming weeks.
Currently top on goal difference, the Whites will be desperate to form a gap between themselves on Burnley when the Clarets square off against third place Sheffield United and they, themselves, face Stoke City on April 21.
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Speaking about the pressure on his side during Leeds’ promotion run-in, manager Daniel Farke told reporters: “It’s so difficult and I wish sometimes the fans knew this. We’re in a business where there is lots of pressure.
“I don’t like to complain about this because the players have a proper life and earn lots of money, but let’s not forget, we work with human beings and we must keep this in mind when we criticise them a little bit.”
Farke, like those at Elland Road, has just five games before he can breathe a potential sigh of relief and then turn his attention towards the summer transfer window for Leeds.
Leeds set to join race for Abubakr Barry
With promotion back in their hands, the Whites have reportedly shifted their focus towards the transfer market. According to Kronen Zeitung in Austria, as relayed by Sports Witness, the 49ers are now poised to join the race to sign Abubakr Barry from Austria Vienna this summer, battling against Hull City as well as clubs in Germany and France for the midfielder’s signature in doing so.
The 24-year-old midfielder has impressed in Austria this season and could yet find himself on the move as a result despite only arriving in Vienna last summer. Dubbed “fantastic to watch” and even compared to Jobe Bellingham by scout and analyst Mfalsafa on X, Barry is undoubtedly one to watch.
Whilst chasing such a player, promotion to the Premier League will certainly go a long way for Leeds, who are already planning ahead.