Leeds United: Motivation for latest Elland Road exit revealed | OneFootball

Rasmus Kristensen has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan for this season

Journalist Dan Bardell has claimed that a loan move for Rasmus Kristensen was agreed due to a lack of interest in a permanent transfer for the Leeds United defender.

Kristensen spent last season on loan with AS Roma, where he made 29 appearances in the league (all stats from Fbref).

However, he has since made the switch to German side Eintracht Frankfurt following Leeds’ failure to gain promotion to the Premier League.

The defender joined the Yorkshire outfit in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth a reported £10 million, but has made just 26 league appearances for the club in that time.

Kristensen has not shown a willingness to compete in the Championship, which has led to his departure for the Bundesliga for the season ahead.

Lack of Kristensen transfer interest

Bardell has claimed that a loan move was found for Kristensen due to a lack of interest in a permanent deal.

He believes that Leeds had to get his wages off the books, which led to the decision to swiftly agree to a temporary exit weeks before the season gets underway.

“It is clear that he isn’t going to play in the Championship for Leeds so Kristensen had to go,” said Bardell, via MOT Leeds News.

“They couldn’t find someone to buy him on a permanent so they had to loan him to get him off the books.

“He’s the type of player that would return if Leeds got to the Premier League and there’s a few others like that.

“They just needed to get him off the wage bill quickly because they are in the Championship with him.“

Kristensen helped Roma finish sixth in the Serie A table last season, while Leeds came third in the Championship without him.

The Italian side qualified for European competition for the upcoming campaign, but he will instead be competing in the Europa League with Frankfurt.

Leeds United’s 2024 summer business

Leeds have already sold a number of players this summer, including a £40 million deal involving Archie Gray and Tottenham Hotspur.

Glen Kamara is another regular first team member who has departed during the transfer window.

But Joe Rothwell, Joe Rodon and Jayden Bogle are among the arrivals to try and boost Daniel Farke’s first team squad ahead of a promotion push over the next 12 months.

Leeds have until 30 August to complete any remaining deals before the market shuts for the rest of the calendar year.

Kristensen loan is frustrating for Leeds

Leeds loaning out Kristensen really just kicks the can down the road another 12 months, while his contract continues to wind down.

This will reduce his transfer value into 2025 unless he can perform excellently while on loan in Germany.

This will be an issue again next year for Leeds, as it seems unlikely he will be offered a pathway back into the first team if promotion is secured this season.