'Other clubs were interested' - Leeds United dream secures 'a real gift' at the 11th hour

Isaac Schmidt
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


It was a whirlwind. It always is on transfer deadline day. Less than 24 hours after scoring in a Europa Conference League play-off for St. Gallen, Isaac Schmidt was boarding a private jet bound for Yorkshire to complete his move to Leeds United. To realise a dream in the words of his agent, Steven Lang.

"Other clubs were interested, including Bundesliga clubs, but Leeds are a club with tradition and a rich history," Lang told Leeds Live. "For us, it was clear that joining Leeds and moving to England was a great opportunity for Isaac.

"The project perfectly matched what we were looking for so we didn’t hesitate. It's the fact that such a great club must return to the Premier League."

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Daniel Farke made that clear when he spoke to Schmidt - vowing that they would do 'big things together' - and the new arrival is desperate to take Leeds back to where he genuinely believes they belong. That won't have come as a surprise to former team-mate Adam Ouattara. "You can be sure that he will give his all for the club and for the fans," he revealed to Leeds Live.

That will be the case even when Schmidt is not on the field. Junior Firpo and Jayden Bogle currently occupy the starting spots at full-back and Farke and Leeds' recruitment team were keen to bring the right character into the dressing room to push the pair. Leeds' motto is 'side before self' and Gabriel Bares, who played with Schmidt at Lausanne-Sport, has no doubt that the Swiss will fit right in.

"He always thinks of the team before thinking about himself so it’s a real gift for a team," the Montpellier midfielder explained to Leeds Live. "I think that with his state of mind and the English state of mind, it will match perfectly."

No wonder those who have worked with Schmidt tellingly reference his 'energy' and 'positivity'. Leeds staff got a glimpse of those traits on Schmidt's first day, whether it was the new arrival marvelling at his surroundings after walking out of the tunnel at an empty Elland Road or how he reacted when fellow French speaker Wilfried Gnonto presented him with a home shirt with his name and number on the back of it.

Isaac Schmidt, Gretar Steinsson and agent Steven Lang
Isaac Schmidt, Gretar Steinsson and agent Steven Lang

Farke has commented on how the 'lads love him already' and Schmidt's ability to speak fluent English has helped the defender to settle in quickly - even if he will require time to adapt to the physicality of the Championship after moving abroad for the first time. Bares said this was the type of switch that Schmidt 'needed' - namely a league with 'big intensity, lots of running' - and staff behind the scenes at Leeds feel there is a lot more to come from the 24-year-old given his potential and, most importantly, his mentality and desire to improve. Peter Zeidler, who managed Schmidt for three seasons at St. Gallen, said the full-back's 'willingness to learn and to train hard was one of his strengths'.

"Isaac is a very offensive full-back because he was previously a winger," he told Leeds Live. "He improved his defensive phase a lot and can reach even a better level by playing in the Championship. Above all, the fact that he can play on both sides is surely an advantage.

"Even if he is almost 25 years old, I think he still has a great improvement margin. He became a starter relatively late in the Swiss Super League, so he remains in a phase of his career in which every game you learn and improve. He always showed a positive attitude towards challenging situations and this could help a lot.“