Daniel Farke urged Leeds United board to sign Sam Byram this summer – Phil Hay
Daniel Farke urged Leeds United to sign Sam Byram as a free agent this summer as he prepared for the Championship season, according to Phil Hay.
On Monday (25 September), the Athletic reporter reported that the former Norwich manager, who worked with Bryam when they were at Carrow Road, was keen to sign him as he believes a fit Bryam would be as good a left-back as any in the Championship.
Bryam was let go by the Canaries last season, partly due to his injury problems, but he made it through the entire pre-season at Leeds without a complaint and scored his second goal of his time with the Whites in the 3-0 victory over Watford on Saturday (23 September).
Junior Firpo is still out with a long-term injury, but Byram has played seven of Elland Road’s eight Championship games this season when he has been available, playing at right-back and left-back.
Trust Farke
There aren’t many at Elland Road who have any doubts about Farke at all at the moment, and it’s almost as if he can’t make a mistake right now, with almost all of his decisions working perfectly.
If Leeds hadn’t signed Byram in the summer, they’d have been short on full-backs and would probably have been struggling much more than they’ve been in the first few weeks of the season, but the ex-Norwich man has brought stability and confidence to the backline that simply can’t be overstated.
It wasn’t an easy decision either, with many questioning whether he was fit enough to play regularly in the Championship, let alone as a starter in a side chasing promotion. But, like so many of the decisions Farke has made since taking over, it has proven to be the right one, even at this early stage of the season.
The board at Leeds should also be commended for supporting their manager when it comes to the transfer market, as not many clubs would have taken such a risk on such a talented player. Let’s hope this is just the start of the good things to come for Byram at Leeds, and he can keep on shining and improving as the season progresses.