Daniel Farke piles unnecessary pressure on Leeds United goalkeeper amid Lucas Perri blow
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke could go on to regret the comments he made about goalkeeper Karl Darlow on Thursday.
Farke revealed to the press on 11 September that summer signing Lucas Perri is absent for his side’s upcoming Premier League clash with Fulham.
Since joining the Whites from Lyon in the summer transfer window, the 27-year-old has maintained two clean sheets in three top-flight appearances.
Meanwhile, Leeds drew 0-0 with Newcastle United in their last Premier League game, and will be eager to defeat Fulham on Saturday, 13 September.
Daniel Farke unnecessarily namedrops Manuel Neuer in Karl Darlow discussion
While Farke had a busy summer transfer window, Leeds failed to sign Christantus Uche, Manor Solomon and Bilal El Khannouss.
Meanwhile, the West Yorkshire side did successfully bolster their goalkeeping options by signing Perri from Lyon.
However, Perri will be unavailable for Leeds against Fulham, meaning that Farke is set to select Darlow between the sticks.
Speaking to the press on 11 September, Farke said: “I am not concerned about Karl.
“You could judge someone like Manuel Neuer badly for one mistake he made, but you have to look at goalkeepers over a longer period. Karl does not crack under pressure. He has all of our backing.”
While the Leeds boss has vied to instill confidence in Darlow, comparing him to the 2014 World Cup winner will backfire if the 34-year-old performs poorly against Fulham.
Leeds must offload Illan Meslier in January
Having previously served as Leeds’ first-choice goalkeeper, Illan Meslier was dropped for making a string of errors throughout the Whites’ promotion-winning campaign last term.
| Karl Darlow stats | Championship 2024/25 |
| Appearances | 7 |
| Clean sheets | 4 |
| Saves | 9 |
Darlow replaced the 25-year-old in the closing stages of the season, maintaining four clean sheets in seven Championship appearances, guiding the Elland Road outfit back to the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Meslier’s place in Farke’s pecking order took a further setback when Leeds signed Perri in the summer transfer window.
Perri’s two clean sheets in the Premier League show that the former Lyon man has what it takes to perform in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Meslier attracted interest from Rangers in the summer, but the West Yorkshire club ultimately failed to facilitate his departure.
Therefore, when the transfer window re-opens in January, Leeds must complete the Frenchman’s exit.
Meanwhile, Farke must guide the Whites to their second Premier League win of the season soon, as they have failed to earn three points since beating Everton in their first game.
Elsewhere, Ian Darke has weighed in on summer signing Sean Longstaff’s situation at Elland Road in an MOT Leeds News exclusive.