£5m Leeds United star's future at Elland Road could be decided by one key factor | OneFootball

Darko Gyabi's Leeds United future could be decided by the outcome of the Whites' Premier League quest

Leeds United currently sit third in the Championship table, after winning 29 points from 15 games, and are just two points behind second place Sheffield United as well as league leaders Sunderland.

Automatic promotion is the clear goal for a Whites side who were relegated from the Premier League in 2022, and reached the Championship play-off final last term.

While the current top-two sides, the Black Cats and the Blades, are both thoroughly deserving of their league positions, Daniel Farke's men have perhaps shown that they have what it takes to break into the automatic promotion spots.

The Whites faced both Regis Le Bris' men and Chris Wilder's side last month, and picked up four points from those two games, courtesy of a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light, as well as a 2-0 home victory over the Blades.

Furthermore, Farke's side would have come away with all three points from their visit to the Black Cats, if it wasn't for a last gasp error from goalkeeper Illan Meslier, which was responsible for Sunderland's equaliser.

The Whites' performances against their automatic promotion rivals demonstrate that come the end of the season, it may in fact be the West Yorkshire side who occupy an all-important top-two spot.

Darko Gyabi's Leeds future could be decided by promotion bid

Amid his parent club's battle for promotion, Leeds midfielder Darko Gyabi is currently on loan at Plymouth Argyle, for whom he has made 14 Championship appearances so far this season.

The 20-year-old also spent the second half of last campaign with the Pilgrims, and helped the Devon outfit avoid relegation back to League One, as he made 10 second tier outings.

He is clearly a talented individual who came through the Manchester City academy, and has represented England at youth international level, while the Whites paid a fee of £5m for his services back in 2022.

But due to the presence of stern competition from the likes of summer signing Ao Tanaka, and the currently injured Ethan Ampadu, as well as the on loan Joe Rothwell, Farke deemed that the best thing for Gyabi's development was to spend time on loan with the Pilgrims once again.

And while Wayne Rooney's men are above the relegation zone by just one point, Gyabi is enjoying the amount of game time he is getting in the South West, and bagged an assist during his side's 3-1 victory over Luton Town in September.

However, while the 20-year-old is currently proving his worth in the Championship, if the Whites go on to win promotion to the Premier League, he will likely not be a part of Farke's plans moving forwards.

As the West Yorkshire side discovered themselves in 2022, the top-flight of English football can be an incredibly tough league to stay in, so upon potential promotion to the Premier League, Farke and co would be looking to strengthen their ranks, which would not bode well for Gyabi, who is already low down in the pecking order.

Next summer presents Leeds with last chance to cash-in on Darko Gyabi

As per the Yorkshire Evening Post, Gyabi will be entering the final 12 months of his contract upon his return to Elland Road from the Pilgrims next summer.

Consequently, the end of the season will present the Whites with the last opportunity to cash in on the starlet, which is an option they may be looking to take if they win promotion to the Premier League.

But if Farke's men miss out on the top-flight once more, then that could provide the England youth international with his last opportunity to stake his claim for a long-term future in West Yorkshire.