Leeds United had the weekend of their dreams arguably, watching Ipswich Town’s late collapse away at Cardiff City knowing that their grip on second spot in the Championship would remain secure.
That was managed also due to Daniel Farke’s Whites picking up a confident three points away at a resurgent Sheffield Wednesday, Patrick Bamford and Wilfried Gnonto in on the goalscoring act in the 2-0 away day win.
Gnonto continues to shine in the first-team fold for his German boss, the Italian attacker now onto six goals for the season in the second tier off the back of his strike at Hillsborough on Friday night.
Still, although Gnonto’s importance to the Leeds first team continues to rise, the 20-year-old winger finds himself on a lower wage than a reserve Whites figure who has only made two appearances this campaign for Farke’s promotion hopefuls in the league and four overall.
How much Karl Darlow earns at Leeds
Playing the role of back-up goalkeeper to Illan Meslier, who continues to dazzle alongside Gnonto with 17 clean sheets next to his name, Karl Darlow is on a far heftier wage than he needs to be considering his standing in the Whites set-up.
The ex-Newcastle United shot-stopper comes in at a handsome £30k-per-week, which puts him just outside the top earners at Elland Road despite his limited first-team action.
| Leeds’ top earners – 2023/24 | |
| Player | Wage |
| 1. Georginio Rutter | £70k per week |
| 2. Patrick Bamford | £70k per week |
| 3. Junior Firpo | £60k per week |
| 4. Daniel James | £50k per week |
| 5. Pascal Struijk | £50k per week |
Darlow does come in at £20k shy of the likes of Daniel James and Pascal Struijk, but with the 33-year-old keeper only making two appearances all season long for Farke’s men in the Championship, the time could come soon when the need to ditch the 6 foot 3 fringe figure becomes strong.
This also puts Darlow on a wage that’s £10k more than Gnonto at £20k per week, alongside earning double that of Crysencio Summerville who has been devastating down the left flank this season alongside his Italian teammate.
It’s not as if the ex-Magpies man has shone when called into action this season either, the £400k signing struggling in the Leeds spotlight when he’s been needed on occasion to step up and perform.
Karl Darlow’s season at Leeds
Darlow was thrown into the firing line away at Preston North End earlier this season in truth, thrust into the action at Deepdale after Meslier had been red-carded.
The stand-in option would only make one save in total from his 35 minutes on the pitch as Ryan Lowe’s hosts picked up a narrow 2-1 win however, Darlow unable to inspire his ten-man side to a gritty point or win.
Darlow’s only other second-tier appearance of the season was equally timid against West Bromwich Albion, the Whites number 28 making just one solitary save again with the Baggies picking up a 1-0 victory.
His insecure position in the Leeds camp is made even more shaky when you consider the heroics of Kristoffer Klaesson when Farke has relied upon his third-choice shot-stopper over Darlow, the 23-year-old picking up a clean sheet against Birmingham City at the very start of 2024.
Coming in at a more reasonable £10k-per-week wage too, the Norwegian number 13 could now be viewed as the more stable back-up for the future when contrasted with the underwhelming Darlow.
The former Newcastle man’s purchase did look like a bargain at the time, considering his experience of playing Premier League football, but – in the here and now – the 33-year-old’s future at Elland Road could soon be up in the air especially when you look at his extortionate pay packet.
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