The clever clause Leeds United had in Manor Solomon’s contract
It’s evident that the 25-year-old is adored by his fans, and his performances have reciprocated their affection.
Even though Solomon has occasionally performed poorly for Leeds, he has occasionally come under fire.
He has, however, been a revelation overall.
The 49ers put a condition in his contract that may have saved the owners thousands of dollars, and the entire arrangement has appeared to be very good value.
Based on Solomon’s recent injury history, a source familiar with Solomon’s discussions told The Athletic that his loan agreement contained a “unique” clause.
During any time that Solomon is sidelined due to a knee injury—a persistent issue throughout his career—the Whites are exempt from paying their portion of Solomon’s contract.
Leeds will find Solomon useful in the Premier League
The fact that Solomon has Premier League experience makes his departure from Tottenham so appealing.
This gives Farke a distinct edge since he requires players who have both league experience and have demonstrated their value, like Solomon did for Fulham for a while.
| Solomon’s Premier League statistics with Fulham | |
| Games played | 19 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Passing accuracy % | 86.4% |
| Long ball accuracy % | 60% |
| Dribble success % | 55.9% |
Solomon may be a clear sign that this transfer should take place given his recent performance in the top division.
There is a chance that the winger’s knee injury will recur, but based on their initiative in adding a hidden clause, the Whites will undoubtedly be ready for the situation if it does.
In related news:
Leeds will have to get back up for the final two games as they play Burnley for the Championship title after the wild parties inside and outside of Elland Road finally subside.
Following that, the focus will shift to getting ready for Leeds’ first Premier League campaign since 2022, which will require significant squad improvement.
According to Simon Jordan, Leeds will have to spend at least £50–60 million if they hope to have a realistic chance of surviving.
Leeds United must spend at least £50m in the summer says Simon Jordan
Although Farke has been promoted three times to the Premier League, his record in the league is poor; at Norwich City, he has only won six of 49 games.
Eleven games into his second season after leading the Canaries back to victory, the manager was fired after going straight back down in his first season in the top tier.
Jordan, on the other hand, has defended Farke’s record by claiming Leeds has to do the opposite to give him a chance, as Norwich failed to support him enough in the transfer market.
“If you’re Norwich and you spend £9 million when you get promoted, they spent £9 million in the 19–20 season, so they got relegated,” Jordan stated on TalkSport.
“They got relegated when it took 35 points to stay up and now it takes 26 apparently. The next time they went up they spent £45m and finished bottom of the league in a season that takes 38 points to stay up.
“What are you going to do with £9m? If you’re going to give a manager £9m to go in the Premier League, you may as well give nothing.
“What are you going to do with £30m in the Premier League when you’ve got people spending hundreds of millions of pounds and they’ve established Premier League squads.
“I would think that a reasonable amount of money to be spending when you get promoted to the Premier League is somewhere in the region on transfer fees of 50-60% of the total amount of money you’re going to get for being in the Premier League.
“Which is round about £120m, so if you go and spend £50-60m, you give yourself half a chance of a puncher’s chance of staying in the division.”
Farke has already made it clear he wants new players at Leeds
Farke made it clear that he wanted support in the summer transfer market before the champagne had even dried in his hair.
Even while he insisted he was happy with his team, Farke acknowledged in an interview with Sky Sports following the match that he does desire new players in January.
The management also stated unequivocally that the 49ers must have “ambition” during the transfer window.
The initial indications are encouraging. Tottenham has previously mentioned a £100 million master plan with Kalvin Phillips joining, and the asking price for Manor Solomon has been estimated at £15–20 million.
But if Leeds want to stay up, they’ll need a lot more than that; at the very least, they’ll need a new custodian, playmaker, striker and midfielder.
