Leeds United decision expected as defender approaches career crossroads after 2023 choice — YEP 3/7/24

By Will Jackson

Max Wober’s Austria were knocked out of Euro 2024 on Tuesday night by Turkey

Max Wober’s next career move must be a long way from being at the forefront of his mind right now. The Leeds United man was a member of the Austria side that saw their Euro 2024 hopes come to a cruel end on Tuesday night.

Ralf Rangnick's side were the unlikely stars of the tournament through the group stages but they ran out of steam in the knockouts as they were beaten 2-1 by Turkey in Leipzig. It was a result that was hard to take for those involved and Wober was among those who cut a distraught figure once the full-time whistle had been blown.

The loss may well take some getting over then and while Turkey advance to a quarter-final clash with the Netherlands, Austria's players will be packing their bags and heading home. A holiday will be the most likely thing on Wober's mind, taking his mind off the game with some rest and relaxation in a sunnier climate.

However, it won't be long until his future comes into focus with a decision due to be made one way or the other. Indeed, the Whites have already started pre-season training ahead of the start of the Championship season on August 10 and in just a few weeks’ time, Wober will be expected to report to Thorp Arch.

It's probably fair to say that neither Leeds nor Wober expected to find themselves in such a situation. After spending the majority of pre-season with Leeds last summer, the 26-year-old joined Borussia Monchengladbach on loan for the duration of the 2023-24 campaign.

The expectation at the time was that the move would probably be made permanent once his loan spell had concluded and Leeds have seen a number of those who left the club on loan last summer secure futures elsewhere with Luis Sinisterra, Robin Koch and Marc Roca moving on permanently since.

However, despite impressing in the Bundesliga, Wober's future remains uncertain. Gladbach have reportedly been keen on the versatile centre-back, but it seems they do not have the resources required to secure a deal, with the suggested fee of €15m considered to be out of their price range.

It means Wober has two options to mull over as he sits on his sun lounger. He can either find a club that can meet the demands of Leeds, where he still has three more years left to run on his contract, or he can attempt to make contact with Daniel Farke to discuss the possibility of a second chance at Elland Road.

The manager has set something of a precedent for returning players by bringing Brenden Aaronson back into the first-team picture and there are benefits to approaching Wober's situation in a similar fashion. The Whites are short of defensive options and his versatility and experience could prove to be an asset over a 46-game season as Leeds push for promotion at the second time of asking.

That decision is Farke's, though, and the manager has a similar choice to make about the future of Rasmus Kristensen, who finds himself in the same boat following his loan spell at Roma.

Wober said before travelling to Euro 2024 that he didn't want to think about his future until after the tournament and he told his agent not to ring him while Austria were still active. Their elimination suggests the Austrian will start to think about his immediate future soon, though, and it seems it won't be too long before we have clarity on his situation.