Observing Ipswich Town’s dramatic collapse away at Cardiff City, Leeds United had undoubtedly the weekend of their dreams, knowing that their hold on second place in the Championship would hold firm.
That was also made possible by Daniel Farke’s Whites winning 2-0 on the road against a revitalised Sheffield Wednesday, where they picked up a confident three points. Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto scored the goals.
Following his goal at Hillsborough on Friday night, Gnonto, an Italian attacker, has now scored six goals in the second division this season for his German manager’s first squad.
Nevertheless, despite Gnonto’s growing significance to the Leeds first squad, the 20-year-old winger is paid less than a reserve Whites player who has made only two league appearances and four overall for Farke’s team this season.
Karl Darlow’s salary at Leeds
Karl Darlow, who fills in as Illan Meslier’s backup custodian and continues to shine alongside Gnonto with 17 clean sheets under his belt, is paid considerably more than he should be given his position in the Whites lineup.
The former Newcastle United custodian earns a respectable £30,000 a week, placing him slightly outside Elland Road’s top earners despite his infrequent first-team action.
Although Darlow is just £20k less than players like Daniel James and Pascal Struijk, Farke’s team may soon find it necessary to part with the 6′ 3″ periphery player given that the 33-year-old keeper has only made two appearances this season in the Championship.
Along with earning double that of Crysencio Summerville, who has been deadly down the left flank this season with his Italian teammate, Darlow will now be paid £10k more per week than Gnonto.
The £400k signing has struggled in the Leeds spotlight when called upon to step up and produce, so it’s not like the former Magpies player has excelled when called upon this season either.
Karl Darlow’s Leeds season
In actuality, Darlow was thrown into the fire at Preston North End earlier in the season, entering the game at Deepdale after Meslier was sent off.
In his 35 minutes on the pitch, the stand-in option would only make one save overall as Ryan Lowe’s team won by a close margin of 2-1. Darlow, though, was unable to motivate his ten-man team to a hard-fought point or victory.
The Whites number 28 made just one save in his lone other second-tier outing of the season against West Bromwich Albion, as the Baggies won 1-0. Darlow’s performance was similarly lacklustre.
When you consider Kristoffer Klaesson’s heroics when Farke has leaned on his third-choice shot-stopper over Darlow—the 23-year-old recording a clean sheet against Birmingham City at the very beginning of 2024—it makes his precarious position in the Leeds camp even more precarious.
When compared to the lacklustre Darlow, the Norwegian number 13 might now be seen as the more reliable backup for the future, especially because he is paid a more respectable £10k per week.
Considering his Premier League experience, the former Newcastle player’s acquisition did appear like a good deal at the time. However, given his outrageous salary, the 33-year-old’s future at Elland Road may not be guaranteed in the near future.
