Leeds United boss Daniel Farke makes 'creative' transfer policy admission that follows Portsmouth's recruitment lead
Pompey appear to be doing something right in the transfer market as Leeds United look poised to follow their recruitment lead.
The Blues have been increasingly looking beyond the UK to strengthen their ranks, with the Fratton Park outfit firm believers that there’s often better value for money away from home.
That has seen sporting director Rich Hughes’ team utilise the Australian market to good effect, with Pompey signing four A-League players during recent transfer windows - Kusini Yengi, Jacob Farrell, Thomas Waddingham and most recently Hayden Matthews, whom they purchased for a modest £1.2m from Sydney FC in January.
Closer to these shores, the Blues have also been actively exploring the pool of talent that exists outside of Europe’s so-called elite leagues, with summer signing and undisputed Fratton Park No1 Nicolas Schmid a prime example of a top-quality keeper who didn’t cost the Blues and arm and a leg when he was signed from Austrian outfit BW Linz!
There’s no doubt Pompey will be plotting similar moves in the summer as they look to unearth more hidden gems who are first-team and Championship-ready in these more moderate competitions.
Now it appears promotion-chasing Leeds could operate a similar transfer policy, irrespective of whether they made a return to the Premier League ahead of the 2025-26 season, with Schmid’s recent heroics in the Whites’ recent 1-0 defeat at Fratton Park proof of the quality that is out there.
Speaking to Transfermarkt.de, Leeds boss Daniel Farke said: ‘The domestic market is overpriced, that's true.
‘That means we have to be creative and think outside the box. The EFL's foreign player rule requires a clever balance between domestic and international players. In doing so, we have to specifically prioritise which markets are attractive to us.
‘The German market remains interesting, particularly due to the high quality of training and the tactical skills of the players. However, the Brexit-related regulations are making recruiting from Europe more difficult. Our strategy therefore has to be flexible.
‘We are increasingly looking at markets outside Europe where talented players are available at more moderate costs. At the same time, it is important to involve our own young talent more closely in order to operate independently of transfer restrictions in the long term.’
According to our sister title, the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds will likely target the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga - Germany’s top two tiers - this summer as they search for fresh faces ahead of next season.
John Mousinho’s thoughts on going abroad for new signings
Speaking to The News last month, Pompey boss John Mousinho pinpointed Championship rivals Preston as an example of how to recruit shrewdly from the continent.
They’ve experienced good success with their recruitment of Milutin Osmajic (Montenegro), Mads Frokjaer (Denamark) and Stefan Thordarsson (Iceland) in recent transfer windows.
And Mousinho underlined his club’s recruitment department will potentially be looking to travel the same path as the Lilywhites this summer.
He said: ‘That’s what we need to do (look at overseas markets), it’s what we need to do.
‘We’ve seen the amount of foreign players in the Championship. Whether you like it or not, we’ve seen it’s a good market to explore.
‘You have to get it right, though.
‘We’re looking everywhere and you have to look everywhere for players.
‘If you look at our opponents last weekend, they’ve had a lot of success from bringing players in from overseas recently who are really affecting the team.
‘So I think we definitely need to do the same and at least have an eye on it. If it’s not an option then absolutely fine.’
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