January’s transfer business at Leeds United has started early in 2023 with Victor Orta quick off the mark to secure Austrian defender Max Wober. The left-footer becomes the fourth arrival from Jesse Marsch’s former Red Bull employers in the last seven months.
Wober is a former teammate of Brenden Aaronson’s and Rasmus Kristensen’s at Red Bull Salzburg, while Tyler Adams arrived from RB Leipzig last summer too. The Austrian international has signed a contract to June 2027 after the clubs reportedly agreed to a deal starting at £10m with £4m in add-ons.
While the 24-year-old’s natural position is considered to be centre-back, he has frequently played at left-back. The Whites came into this window with a clear focus on adding competition for Pascal Struijk and Junior Firpo in that department.
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Wober, who will wear the club's number 39 shirt and come into contention for Sunday’s Cardiff City clash, began his career with hometown club Rapid Wien before catching the eye of Dutch giants Ajax at 19 years old.
Seventeen months after arriving in the Netherlands, Wober joined Sevilla on loan with an obligatory buyout clause, but he moved again after just seven months. Salzburg took him back to his homeland in August 2019 and across the past three years he has become club captain.
When Wober arrived at Salzburg, Christoph Freund, the club’s sporting director, said: “We are convinced Maximilian Wober can make our team even better. He's left-footed and tactically very clever, which makes our game even more variable.
“In addition, despite his young age, he already has a lot of international experience and has already successfully sniffed the air in the Champions League at Ajax.”
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