Leeds United manager Daniel Farke made it very clear in the summer window that Pascal Struijk should not be sold amid interest from Europe.
The Whites had a raft of players leave the club in the summer months, which was inevitable after relegation from the Premier League.
However, Daniel Farke made it very clear that some players had to stay put, and that includes centre-back Pascal Struijk, with The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealing this week that interest from Club Brugge was rife in the summer
“Leeds suspected that he might be one of the names who sought to leave over the summer, to avoid stepping back down into the Championship, and an approach for him was made by Belgium’s Club Bruges in July. But Farke was in the building by then and told Leeds that they would be better off keeping Struijk. Perhaps at that early stage, he was already seeing how the 24-year-old Dutchman would fit.”
Here, we look at two knock-on effects that Farke’s decision is having on the defender this season
If our Premier League rise and fall proved anything, it was that Struijk’s form can very easily deviate based on his and the side’s confidence levels.
He was brilliant in 20/21, and then struggled in our second and third seasons in the top-flight, looking like a shadow of the player that emerged under Marcelo Bielsa.
It of course helps when he’s playing regularly in the position that is best for him, centre-back, rather than a mixture of there, left-back, and defensive midfield.
This sort of backing from Farke on day one is proof that he rates Struijk highly, and that will have been just what the defender needed to hit the ground running this season.
It could have been very easy for Leeds to accept a transfer offer for one of the few first-team players that would bring in a decent fee.
That is especially the case in the midst of all the players leaving on loan with no money coming back in.
However, Farke sees a very talented player and the performances are justifying that, and in the process, he’s seeing his value rise again.
If Struijk is at the heart of the defence that helps Leeds get promoted, or even challenge, then we have a serious asset on our hands.
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