Farke may take brutal decision over Leeds flop named among ‘worst Premier League signings’ | OneFootball

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke may need to make a ruthless decision over goalkeeper Lucas Perri this summer if the Whites are to reach the next level after the Brazilian was embarrassingly named on a list of the worst Premier League signings of the season.

Perri moved to Elland Road for an initial £13.9m (€16m) fee from Lyon last summer, as Leeds United looked to address their long-standing goalkeeper issues ahead of their return to the Premier League.

As part of that fee, Leeds agreed to pay an additional payment to the Ligue 1 side that would guarantee an additional £500,000 per year for each year they stay up, and over the duration of his four-year stay at Elland Road, an arrangement that could take 27-year-old’s total cost up to £15.9m (€18.5m).

While Leeds are well placed to make that first extra payment towards the French side, Perri has not been the roaring success many expected him to be at Elland Road.

Indeed, after a difficult start to life in West Yorkshire, Perri lost his place as the club’s first-choice stopper towards the end of December, with Karl Darlow effectively keeping him out ever since.

Now, more salt has been rubbed into Perri’s wounds after he was named 11th on a list compiled by the Daily Mail of the top 20 worst Premier League signings of the season.

Journalist Nathan Salt wrote for the Mail: “The Brazilian arrived from Lyon on a four-year deal, with most Leeds United fans rejoicing that the days of Illan Meslier between the sticks were over. They had found their new No 1.

“But despite starting the campaign as No. 1, Daniel Farke axed Perri midway through the season in favour of Karl Darlow, and Perri has had to play second fiddle ever since, making do with cup games in 2026.

“He managed 16 fairly unimpressive appearances in the Premier League before Farke decided that if Leeds were to stay up, it wouldn’t be with Perri in goal. Pretty damning and ominous for his long-term prospects, less than a year into that four-year deal.”

As a result of that unglorious first year, serious questions are now being asked if Perri may now have played his last game for Leeds…

Leeds have big decision to make over Perri, Darlow and their next No.1

That’s because Darlow’s form between the sticks had been nothing short of exceptional, and it is his safe pair of hands (and his feet; a major flaw in Perri’s game) that has given Leeds a solid foundation with which to build a survival charge.

And while Perri has done well when called upon in the FA Cup – the Brazilian putting in a Man of the Match display in the fourth-round win at Birmingham, before then pulling off some penalty shootout saving heroics in the quarter-final win at West Ham – those performances have failed to make a compelling argument that he is worthy of more chances.

Transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, writing for our sister site, TEAMtalk.com, revealed in February how an ‘underwhelmed’ Farke was not convinced by the Brazilian and would make it one of his top priorities this summer to sign an elite replacement in goal.

And while the club’s top target, James Trafford, looks highly likely to elude them given the high-calibre sides also keen on the frustrated Manchester City man, the Whites do now face a huge decision on what to do next with regards to their goalkeeper situation.

The situation is further complicated, however, by the fact that Darlow falls out of contract at Elland Road in a matter of weeks and will be eligible for a free transfer from Leeds.

The dilemma for the Whites is whether to keep faith with the 35-year-old and reward him with a new deal, or to allow him to leave and pursue another candidate to cover and compete with Perri.

He can’t be as bad in his second season, right?….

Alternatively, Leeds could look to tie Darlow down to a new deal, move Perri on, and sign a new custodian to cover and compete with the 14-cap Wales international.

Whether Darlow would accept a role back on the bench muddies the waters further, and interest from Tottenham Hotspur in the Leeds man ahead of the summer window can be confirmed, though of course also subject to Spurs’ divisional status.

Either way, it’s a major dilemma now facing Leeds and one they will need to get right this summer as the club prepares for what they hope will be a second season of top-flight football in 2026/27.

Of course, should Leeds opt to move Perri on, they will undoubtedly be forced to accept a sizeable drop on that initial investment and face up to a relatively rare transfer flop under the 49ers Enterprises regime at Elland Road, which has certainly got more right than wrong.