Sam Byram is set to leave Leeds United when his contract expires this summer, bringing to an end a return that helped carry the club through a near miss at Wembley and then back to the Championship title.
The 32-year-old joined on a free transfer in August 2023 and went straight into Daniel Farke’s side, making 37 appearances in his first season as Leeds lost the play-off final to Southampton at Wembley. He followed that with 39 appearances as Leeds won the Championship the next year, but has featured only four times in all competitions this season.
Byram said he still feels he has a few years left in the game and wants to play regularly if he can. He said he had spent a lot of years on the sidelines with injuries before returning to Leeds, adding that he wanted to get himself into the best physical condition he has felt for some time and make the most of it while he still can.
The move back to Elland Road was also a reunion with Farke, and Byram was direct about the part the manager has played in his second spell at the club. He said Farke was the reason he had a chance back at Leeds and said the German revived his career over the last few years.
That assessment carries extra weight because Byram’s road back was not a straight one. Before returning to Leeds, he spent four seasons at Norwich City and made 54 appearances at Carrow Road, a spell interrupted by injuries that kept him from having the impact many expected when he arrived there.
There is still another layer to the story: what comes after football. Byram said he might like to have a go at management when he stops playing, but he also suggested he will probably explore something else once his playing days are over. For now, though, the immediate question is whether his next club will give him what Leeds could not this season — regular football, and the chance to keep a career he believes is not finished yet.
