Injury nightmares, league titles, broken contracts and how Leeds United’s 10 departures went

Upheaval is expected at Leeds United again this summer, with a transfer window reshaping the squad in Daniel Farke’s image ahead of another Championship campaign. Twelve months ago, everything was on hold while we awaited the outcome of takeover talks between 49ers Enterprises and Aser Ventures.

That would send an enormous amount of boxes on their way and leave Farke with a particularly disruptive August to deal with at the back end of the transfer window. This time it is hoped to be a much more orderly, proactive affair for whites.

The legion of players who have gone out on loan over the past year has been well documented. While some of those loanees will cease to be United players on July 1, the likes of Robin Koch and Luke Ayling are still technically on the books at Elland Road until then.

READ MORE: ‘Sacrifice for other things’ – Leeds United’s transfer strategy can overlook priority areas

Amid the loans that have been negotiated, there have been 10 players who have left the club permanently in the last 12 months. Here, we look back at how these players fared with their new clubs.

Tyler Roberts

It was a familiar tale of woe for Roberts last season after he left Leeds for Birmingham City as the first player out the door in June 2023. The 25-year-old started for the Blues on the opening day of the season but he gave up. with an injury before full time.

Roberts would not resume for six months. He finished the campaign with 17 league appearances and no goals for the relegated side. With three years left on his contract, Birmingham will be looking for him to repay their faith by scoring regularly in League One.

Alfie McCalmont

After coming through United’s youth system at Thorp Arch, McCalmont made the move for good last summer. The 24-year-old played his part in winning promotion from League Two with Carlisle United, but then saw Paul Simpson’s side relegated straight back.

McCalmont was a regular in the first half of a disappointing campaign but fell out of favor after the January transfer window. There is some doubt whether he will be kept at Brunton Park in League Two next season.

Adam Forshaw

While Forshaw eventually returned from injury hell to play for Leeds again, he left Elland Road when his contract expired last summer. The 32-year-old had to wait until the end of the summer window to find a club when David Wagner welcomed him to Norwich City.

Injuries would bite again and he never had a good run in the side, making just four starts before his contract was terminated less than five months after signing. Plymouth Argyle snapped him up in January and eight of his 13 appearances would be starts.

The length of Forshaw’s contract has never been revealed by Home Park, so it is unclear whether he will return to play under fellow Liverpudlian and former Everton player Wayne Rooney. The Pilgrims escaped relegation on the final day and will face Leeds again next season.

Stuart McKinstry

The 21-year-old was another to leave Elland Road when his contract expired last summer. The Scot took some time to find a new home, but eventually settled north of the Queen’s Park boundary in the second tier.

There were 20 appearances for McKinstry, including seven starts, but he was out of contract again this summer. The Glasgow outfit have offered him a new deal, but there is interest from Dunfermline Athletic, Partick Thistle and Carlisle, where former team-mate McCalmont plays.

Joel Robles

Robles, who was Sam Allardyce’s goalkeeper of choice for the 2023 fixture, was the third of the players to leave on a free last summer. He was one of many European names heading to Saudi Arabia, but Robles went second-tier with Al-Qadsiah, who began the campaign with Robbie Fowler at the helm.

The Liverpool legend was gone in four months, but Robles continued to play a key role between the sticks as his Saudi side won the second-tier title to secure promotion to the top flight.

Rodrigo

Rodrigo was one of the few players to emerge from relegation with any credit in the bank at Elland Road due to the goals he continued to score in a poor team. However, he was never likely to stay in England’s second tier and was another European name heading for the Middle East.

However, Rodrigo managed in Qatar and not Saudi Arabia with Al-Rayyan. Rodrigo’s new side finished second in the Qatar Stars League and has two years left on his contract there, which would take him to 35.

Tyler Adams

Adams’ hamstring injury before the 2023 game was undoubtedly one of the key factors in United’s relegation. The American had been one of the stars of the season for the Whites and losing him for so many crucial games made life very difficult.

Unfortunately, his exit was one of the harshest last summer. An ongoing hamstring problem limited his appeal to many clubs until the 11th hour of the summer window when Bournemouth finally coughed up more than £20million for him.

However, Adams’ hamstring would ruin his first season in Dorset, perhaps underscoring just how useful it was for Leeds to get those wages off the books. The 25-year-old would get one start all season and make just four appearances.

Luis Sinisterra

Memorably, he started the season in the second tier with Leeds before going on strike and then returning with Wilfried Gnonto to reconcile with the fans at Portman Road. At lunchtime on deadline day, Daniel Farke was confident there would be no more surprises in the transfer window.

By 11pm, Sinisterra was in London to force a loan move to Bournemouth. This became permanent on February 9. The Colombian had much more joy than Adams on Dean Court, but injuries also limited Sinisterra.

He played 20 times in the Premier League and scored twice, but only started twice in the Championship after 10 February due to injuries, which also limited his playing time with the Whites.

Leo Hjelde

Hjelde started last season as a legitimate left-back option Farke was open to using in a problematic position, but each of his three appearances since August brought cause for concern and he never featured for the Albi again. Sunderland signed him permanently at the end of the January window and he made 10 starts before the end of the season.

However, Hjelde has started just one of the last eight league games and reports on Wearside suggest he faces an uphill battle to win over the new manager.

Jack Jenkins

Like McCalmont, Jenkins came through the youth system, was included in Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team picture, but ultimately fell by the wayside and took far too long to break away from Elland Road. FC Halifax Town signed him permanently from Leeds in January and he looks set for a full first season as a key player in the National League for the Shaymen.