After being passed over for advancement, he wishes to go.
Leeds United could lose another key component of their first squad this summer, with manager Daniel Farke facing an Elland Road exodus following their Championship play-off loss to Southampton.
Leeds players could depart following failed promotion bid
Leeds will compete in England’s second division again next season after losing 1-0 at Wembley, after appearing to be certainties to return to the Premier League last season.
Leeds are left to rue a real missed opportunity after falling just short in a close three-way promotion battle. Farke’s side were neck-and-neck with Ipswich Town and Leicester City in one of the most intriguing Championship promotion battles in years, but unfortunately for fans, one team was doomed to fail.
“As you may guess, things could not be worse. “We are suffering a lot right now,” Farke said of Leeds’ play-off final defeat.
“When you come so close after 90 points and a fantastic play-off semi-final, it hurts a lot. It is too early to send cheerful sentiments. You must allow the players to be depressed, but when you look at the big picture, there is no reason to dwell on this.
“It’s more vital to view it as additional drive. The fans deserve a day of celebration, and we understand their anguish today. We’re sad that we couldn’t send our fans home with anything to rejoice about, and we’re not in the promised land.
“It’ll be difficult to come back stronger because we had 90 points this season.”
Staying in the Championship will have serious ramifications in the summer, with Leeds perhaps obliged to trade key players. It is currently unclear whether they can agree to acquire veteran defender Joe Rodon on a permanent basis, while Crysencio Summerville is said to be garnering interest from major Premier League clubs.
Ilia Gruev, who played an important part for Farke previous season, may also be on the move.
Gruev is set to leave Leeds as Borussia Dortmund considers a move.
TEAMtalk has an update on this, claiming Gruev is set to quit Leeds this summer after the club failed to clinch top-tier promotion.
The 24-year-old midfielder, who has appeared in 32 Championship games, is valued at £15 million by any interested party, with Borussia Dortmund reportedly in the running for a move.
“The other player I really like in the Leeds team that no one really talks about is Ilia Gruev from Bulgaria,” revealed former EFL star Adrian Clarke.
“He is class; he is a slick operator in the engine room. He moves about the pitch and recovers possession with ease, but only when he has the ball.
“He just moves it early and quickly but with real quality and rarely gives the ball away.”
