Red Bull Salzburg’s sporting director, Rouven Schroder, has dismissed the possibility of a January move for Max Wober, citing the Leeds United defender’s price tag as a significant hurdle.
Wober has recently been linked with a potential return to Salzburg, with Schroder acknowledging the 26-year-old alongside Feyenoord’s Gernot Trauner as “two very good players.” However, he emphasized that Salzburg will “carefully evaluate transfers,” tempering expectations.
Speculation about a move gained momentum after Salzburger Nachrichten suggested that “only details need to be finalized” for the transfer to go through. However, over the weekend, Schroder publicly addressed the rumors again, seemingly aiming to dampen the ongoing chatter.
“Wober is one of three central defenders at Leeds and they have maximum ambitions to get into the Premier League. It will be difficult to put the money on the table,” Schroder told Austrian outlet Laola1. “[He is] not a hot commodity at the moment. It has nothing to do with the player, he’s top. We may have to take a more modest approach and make a clever loan transfer.”
Speculation around Max Wober’s future emerged during a period when he struggled for involvement at Leeds, with his path to the first team blocked by the standout performances of Pascal Struijk and Junior Firpo. However, Firpo’s serious hamstring injury earlier this month, ruling him out until the New Year, has opened the door for Wober to step up.
Wober seized the opportunity, coming on to replace Firpo against Derby County and scoring Leeds’ second goal with a well-timed run and finish from close range. He then played a full 90 minutes for the first time this season in Leeds’ 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough last week.
The Austrian international showcased his defensive capabilities under the lights at Elland Road, particularly in handling the lively Ben Doak, despite an unfortunate own-goal. His contributions, both offensively and defensively, highlight his growing impact as he reflects on his goal against Derby and his recent return to Elland Road.
Wober said: “It was a really good feeling. A lot of relief. Struggling a lot this season, and now finally getting some minutes, and then scoring feels amazing.”
The Austrian international was sidelined for Saturday’s match against Preston due to knee swelling but is set to be the first-choice left-back while Firpo is out. Manager Daniel Farke eased concerns about the injury during his pre-game press conference and praised Wober’s ambition to progress in his attacking game.
“I think [the performance vs Derby was important for Wober], last season was not the easiest for him away on loan,” Farke admitted recently. “The start of the season was more or less injury after injury. Today a cold start, I think he was a bit nervous without a warm up but I think he was excellent. He was greedy to do the run and if you do the run sometimes you’re rewarded and you can celebrate. I liked his attitude. Good that he came through this 70 minutes and it will give him a big boost and for his confidence.”
