49ers chance to follow Leeds United upgrade as Derby poaching figures – View

VaselineJune 21, 2024

0 2 minutes read

49ers chance to follow Leeds United upgrade as Derby poaching figures – View

LEEDS, ENGLAND – MAY 28: General view during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on May 28, 2023 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Rob Price, Leeds United’s head of medicine, has been confirmed to be leaving the club for Derby County, leaving a major vacancy in the Thorp Arch staff.

The Whites have undergone quite a significant overhaul in the past 12 months since the 49ers took over from Andrea Radrizzani, picking up the pieces of a visibly fractured squad along with personnel issues in several areas of the hierarchy.

Expanding the backroom staff has been a key improvement Paraag Marathe and co have made of late, and now there is a major vacancy.

Rob Price has confirmed he is leaving Leeds, heading to Derby County

It was confirmed by Leeds on Friday morning that Rob Price, the club’s head of medicine, has parted ways with Elland Road to pursue a new opportunity.

Price joined from Hull City in 2018 after a similar role there while he was also at Liverpool as head doctor between 2005-2012.

Although the statement did not confirm his whereabouts after leaving Leeds, Price’s LinkedIn profile shows that he manages the medical team at newly-promoted Derby County.

Angus Kinnear had this to say on the club’s official website:

“On behalf of everyone at the club, I would like to thank Rob for his commitment and dedication to Leeds United, particularly during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic in the 2019/20 season.

“We all have great respect and appreciation for Rob and of course we are disappointed to see him leave the club, but we wish him every success in the future.”

Happy to have Aaronson back?

Leeds have an opportunity to improve the price this summer

With a major vacancy there on the clubhouse, the 49ers should now be looking to find someone to replace Price, and there is a real opportunity for improvement, as is the case with any vacancy.

Price’s efforts at the club with Stuart Dallas’ long-term rehabilitation as well as the brilliant response to the 2020 pandemic have been exemplary, but season-to-season injury headaches have been a concern.

Most notably for Leeds’ medical team have been some misjudgments of player injury problems – or at least what it looked like from the outside – most recently being Pascal Struijk.

Injured between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, the centre-back was not expected to be out for too long, or so Farke was led to believe:

Pascal Struijik has an adductor (groin) injury, with Daniel Farke telling Sky he doesn’t expect it to keep the defender out for too long.#lufc

— Graham Smyth (@GrahamSmyth) December 29, 2023

An injury that was initially diagnosed as short-term then ended his season but did not hit a ball in 2024 after requiring surgery in March.

Adam Forshaw is perhaps the other notable injury nightmare, initially suffering a hip problem in the 19/20 pre-season before the medical staff looked “an alternative to surgery” rather than pinching a visible problem early, then seeing it out for over two years.

In both situations, it’s clear that the medical team was under justifiable pressure to avoid surgery early on to ensure these players played their part in the season, but in retrospect, it was necessary.

While the club are rightly upset by Price’s exit this summer, as he leaves a major hole that will be difficult to fill, there is an open door to continue to expand the strength of the club’s off-field structure, just as they have done with academy and recruiting roles.

VaselineJune 21, 2024

0 2 minutes read