‘Pascal Struijk to never play for Leeds again as Farke ready to sign replacement’
Pascal Struijk might have already played his final game in Leeds United colours after Daniel Farke was handed a new crushing blow.
Having limped off against Luton Town on Saturday, 5 April, the Dutch centre-back is now set to miss the next two games, and Farke has suggested that he could be missing until the end of the season.
There is no hiding from how injury-prone Struijk has been during his time at Elland Road, with Joe Rodon often partnering up with Ethan Ampadu in the centre of defence over the last two seasons.
That same partnership will likely need to be adopted for the end-of-season run-in, with the former club captain unavailable once again, and some fans are ready to get rid of him during the summer.
The Whites to prepare for Pascal Struijk exit this summer
Despite his time spent on the sidelines, Struijk is still one of the most talented defenders in the division, and will be gaining plenty of interest should Leeds fail to get out of the Championship.
Farke, who is now under immense pressure at Leeds, has seen his side fall to third in the league table after just one win in six matches, allowing Burnley and Sheffield United to leapfrog into the automatic spots.
| Championship standings | Points |
| 1. Burnley | 84 |
| 2. Sheffield United | 83 |
| 3. Leeds United | 82 |
Last summer, Sky Sports Italy’s Gianluca Di Marzio reported (5 July, 2024) that Serie A side Torino were eyeing up Struijk, with the idea of replacing Alessandro Buongiorno, and a similar calibre of teams are likely to be interested again.
If the Whites cannot secure promotion back to the Premier League, there is no telling who could depart Elland Road, especially having lost Archie Gray to Tottenham, Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville last summer.
On the flip side, the centre-half has already shown his abilities in the top tier of English football, with Leeds being relegated in 2023 and him playing a key role in their poor defensive record, so Farke could be ready to replace him either way.
Daniel Farke already eyeing defensive reinforcement ahead of the next transfer window
According to Foot Mercato (7 April), Leeds are closely monitoring Montpellier’s Modibo Sagnan, who has been a rare shining light in the team sitting bottom of Ligue 1 and set to be relegated.
The 25-year-old already has three caps for the Mali national team, and with experience across the divisions with Real Sociedad, Lens and FC Utrecht, he seems like an excellent signing.
This, obviously, screams bad news for Struijk, who struggles to stay fit for long periods of time and is continually being linked with a move away, with Leeds clearly planning for the inevitable.
Illan Meslier’s mistakes have left Leeds with one defensive signing already high on the agenda, but with concerns now over one of the key centre-backs’ future, the 49ers Enterprises may have to inject some more funds into the club soon.