Daniel Farke wants to keep Leeds United midfielder as French club eye move | OneFootball

Daniel Farke is thought to be keen on retaining the midfielder for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke wants to keep midfielder Josuha Guilavogui for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.

This is according to TEAMtalk, amid reports that the player is attracting interest from Paris FC, who currently compete in Ligue 2 and are part-owned by Red Bull, who also hold a stake in Leeds.

The 34-year-old was brought in as a free agent option in November last year, when the Whites were suffering with a bit of a crisis in their central midfield department.

Not only was Ethan Ampadu out of action, but so was Ilia Gruev, who has returned to action earlier than expected.

Joe Rothwell and Ao Tanaka may have remained as options, but the latter was still adapting to English football at the time Guilavogui arrived at Elland Road.

As well as this, both Glen Kamara and Archie Gray left the club in the summer, as well as fellow central midfield option Lewis Bate, so Daniel Farke didn't have a huge number of midfield options even before Ampadu and Gruev's injuries, with the former potentially needed at centre-back at times too.

Daniel Farke's stance on Josuha Guilavogui's Leeds United future

Ampadu and Gruev are both back in action now and with Guilavogui's contract expiring at the end of the season, the winter window may be a good time to offload the 34-year-old.

But according to TEAMtalk, Farke is keen to retain him for the remainder of the season because of his dressing room presence and versatility.

The player has had a positive impact on the dressing room and he is also able to play as a centre-back and at right-back if required.

This is why Farke wants to keep him, despite the fact he hasn't played much since his autumn arrival.

Leeds United should look to keep Josuha Guilavogui

Leeds have already suffered a crisis in this area this season - and they can't risk having a lack of options in central midfield again this season.

Depth will be crucial for them in their quest to secure promotion.

And unless they end up signing a potential replacement for the 34-year-old, they shouldn't even think about letting him go.

His impact on the dressing room seems to be priceless too - and retaining a player of his experience during an important time could make a real difference.

The player doesn't seem to be itching for a move away either, so keeping him for the rest of the campaign is probably a good option.