What Felix Wiedwald’s Impending Arrival Means for Leeds Goalkeepers

Leeds United are on the verge of completing another transfer this summer, with Felix Weidwald given the green light from Werder Bremen to make the jump from the Bundesliga to the Championship.

So will Wiedwald sign for United today? Who knows. It may just be an update, just like the news update on the transfers of Samu Sáiz and Ezgjan Alioski. But it may not be just an update and Weidwald may end up signing for Leeds today. If that’s the case then BOOM, check out your SB Nation blog breaking the news.

So what does this mean to our goalkeeper situation? I think if/when this transfer goes through, fans everywhere will be counting down the days until Marco Silvestri is sold. Silvestri made six appearances last season, playing four times in EFL Cup competition and two appearances in FA Cup games. He conceded six goals in six games as well as earning two clean sheets. Unable to dethrone 37-year-old Robert Green in the starting XI, rumors have speculated that Silvestri will be making a move back to his native Italy, something that will look more and more likely with Wiedwald coming to the newly purchased Elland Road. When all is said and done, the most realistic depth chart at the keeper position looks as follows

1. Rob Green*
2. Felix Wiedwald*
3. Bailey Peacock-Farrell

*= there’s a very real chance that it’s Green who starts on the bench and Wiedwald would be in the starting XI

Green and Wiedwald would look to battle it out during the preseason to secure the starting gig, while Peacock-Farrell will almost certainly be loaned out.

But what if it’s Green who is sold? It might not be as crazy as it sounds. Thomas Christiansen can look at the quartet of goalies he has at his disposal and could opt to go young. I’ve said it almost every time we bring up GK’s: Rob Green isn’t getting any younger. And according to Transfer Centre Live, Garry Monk’s Middlesbrough have expressed interest in Rob Green.

If we think with our heads and not our hearts, selling Green is not a crazy idea. Before we get any deeper, I don’t want Robert Green sold, especially to Boro.

But let's take names out of the equation.

You’ve been appointed head coach of Team A. One of the first works of business for your new team is bringing in Goalie W, who is 27 years old. While you and your staff are at work bringing in Goalie W, you look over your current roster. Goalie X is 37 years old, Goalie Y is 26 years old, and Goalie Z is 20 years old. You know that if Goalie W joins your team, someone is going to have to go. Amid all this, you receive word that Team B is interested in buying 37-year-old Goalie X. It’s a no-brainer, right? You will almost certainly not be able to have another chance to make a profit off of Goalie X, and you then have a chance to have a young core of goalies to choose from moving forward. What’s stopping you from pulling the trigger?

Well, the problem is that Rob Green is loved by just about everyone at Leeds. To use the words of a Twitter user who reacted to the Green rumor, it’d be like a lonely child losing his beloved father. It’d be like a very watered down, Championship version of Sol Campbell leaving Spurs for Arsenal in the eyes of Leeds fans if Greeny joins Middlesbrough. Unfortunately though, at the end of the day football is a business almost as much as it is a sport. It may very well happen that Christiansen wants to have a selection of young goalkeepers. And if Middlesbrough made a bid for Green -whose valued at €500,000 per transfermarkt- it may be something Christiansen pulls the trigger on.

No matter who gets turned over due to Felix Wiedwald joining Leeds, it’s the fact that at Wiedwald is/will be joining Leeds. Only time will tell who will be on his way out of Elland Road.