Darko Gyabi, a midfielder for Leeds United, now finds himself in a sort of transfer limbo after his departure from Elland Road on deadline day fell through.
Swansea City showed interest on the final day of the transfer window, and the Whites were pleased to let Gyabi move on loan. With our free daily newsletter, you can subscribe to receive all the most recent Swansea City transfer news delivered right to your inbox every day.
According to our colleagues at LeedsLive, Michael Duff’s team was considering a loan deal for the young player, who earlier this summer received a £5 million offer from French club Valenciennes.
At the time, Leeds was hesitant to approve a transfer because they wanted to finalize agreements for Glen Kamara and Iliav Gruev first.
However, plans to go to south Wales—or indeed anywhere—failed to materialize, so he will remain in Yorkshire at least through January. But he has challenges. Daniel Farke, the Leeds manager, has greatly improved his midfield options, pushing Gyabi farther down the lineup.
As previously reported by The Athletic, French lower league team Valenciennes made a £5 million offer for Gyabi in the last hours before the transfer deadline. However, the move was postponed until Leeds completed the deals for Iliav Gruev and Glen Kamara. Daniel Farke was pleased to let Gyabi leave on deadline day because of the arrival of that pair and the choices he already had, and Swansea City was also interested in a loan arrangement.
“Despite the player’s interest, nothing was settled in a timely manner, and as a result, Farke now has even more alternatives in his midfield—including a player who is unlikely to appear unless there is a midfield injury crisis.
The struggle for playing time that Gyabi already experienced at Leeds in the early stages of the season has just gotten a lot worse.
It remains to be seen if Swansea will maintain their apparent summer interest in the winter window.