Leeds United will have plenty of work to do this summer regardless of whether they win promotion or not.
It still remains uncertain what division Leeds will be playing in next season as they prepare to get their play-off campaign underway on Sunday at Norwich City.
After missing out on automatic promotion to Leicester City and Ipswich Town, Leeds will be looking to be promoted via the play-offs for the first time in their history.
A return to the Premier League would undoubtedly setup a more exciting summer at Elland Road, as more of the focus would be on who could potentially come in.
On the other hand, 49ers have already acknowledged key player sales will have to be made if they fail, in order to comply with PSR and offset some of the £190 million owed in unpaid transfer instalments.
There is only one decision Leeds should make with Kristensen’s future
Having said that, Leeds’ recruitment team will have a big job on their hands regardless of what happens with the returning loanees.
Eight senior members of last season’s first team squad departed temporarily in the wake of relegation last month, but so far, only Luis Sinisterra and Robin Koch have sealed permanent moves.
And one player who does not appear as though he will be signing for his loan club permanently is Rasmus Kristensen, with the right-back reportedly set to return to Elland Road from AS Roma.
Kristensen has endured a poor season in the Italian capital which started almost instantly after he made the move, as the Denmark international was left out of the Europa League squad.
Though he has started 18 Serie A matches, his performances have come in for regular criticism from the Italian media. Jose Mourinho – the manager – who signed him last summer, as also since been sacked.
Though Kristensen clearly has an uncertain future ahead, there is only one decision Leeds can make on him this summer and that is selling him.
He proved he was no where near good enough for the Premier League last season, as he eventually lost his place to an aging Luke Ayling at right-back.
If Leeds do remain in the Championship, he is the sort of player who needs shifting off the wage bill. His salary would not match the sort of output he could bring.
Farke comments on Sinisterra a hint on Kristensen future
Thankfully, it would appear the club are aligned with the fans in terms of what to do with all the returning loanees.
It was reported as early as January that none of them would be welcomed back, and that was only firmed up by what Daniel Farke said after Sinisterra’s move to Bournemouth.
The Leeds boss dropped a major hint that he isn’t prepared to reintegrate any of them back, and hopefully he is true to his word, particularly in the case of Kristensen.
He said: “I am always a bit careful when a player is here and wants to go, to then bring him back in – it is like putting food in a microwave it is never as good as when it was freshly cooked. It is beneficial for us.”
