Maximilian Wöber, a defender on loan from Leeds United, may be returning to the Championship team this summer if the Lilywhites are promoted back to the Premier League.
The Austrian international worked with former Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch at RB Salzburg for a few seasons before moving to Elland Road in January of last year for an estimated £11 million, according to Sky Sports.
Wöber’s appointment, regrettably, was unable to stop Leeds’ collapsing ship and the Yorkshire team was demoted from the English premier league after just three seasons.
The defender’s contract had a condition that allowed him to depart if Leeds United plummeted to the second division when he signed with the team nine months ago. Ultimately, the 25-year-old secured a loan transfer to Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Wöber has grown to be a beloved player at Borussia Park, and Nils Schmadtke, the team’s head of first-team football, even made a suggestion that a permanent move for the center back might be in the works.
When BILD inquired about whether Wöber’s stay would continue when his loan agreement ended, Schmadtke responded, “Everything in its own time.”
However, the former Ajax defender will only accept a permanent contract with Mönchengladbach if Leeds United is unable to return to the top division of English football, according to German publication Rheinische Post (via Caught Offside).
If Wöber’s contract in Germany expires and the Lilywhites play in the Premier League in 2024–2025, he will have to return to Elland Road.
Writer’s Opinion
Given that the board can demand whatever price for Wöber that they believe is reasonable for a player of his caliber, Leeds United has the upper hand here if the club returns to the top flight.
However, if they don’t, their parachute payments for the following season would be substantially reduced, which means they might have to sell players like Wöber in order to raise money to add more talent.
