Farke on Rodon, bids for Okafor and facing Brighton

Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brighton at Amex Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: Farke confirmed defender Joe Rodon will be out for eight to 10 weeks with a "serious hamstring injury", adding: "It is a big blow for us because he is a key player for us." The Leeds boss also said it is up to him to decide when the right time is for Gabriel Gudmundsson to return from injury. Farke was "pleased" with deadline day signings - forward Jean-Matteo Bahoya and defender Melvin Bard. Explaining Bard is an "experienced player on a really good level", while Bahoya is "an exciting young project" with potential, and both may be included in the squad for Saturday's match. It "wasn't even a topic" keeping Swiss forward Noah Okafor, amid deadline day offers. Farke said he was not aware there was a bid for Okafor: "He is one of our key players in our offence, why would we even think about letting him go? For us, it wasn't even a mention to myself from key people because it would be a joke to get rid of Noah." He feels Leeds had a "very decent window" and the club will do their business in a "smart and sustainable" manner: "I know that our key people would never risk the future of the club, just with gambling in one season to spend a lot to make three or four steps... If it doesn't work, you gamble with the future of the club." Farke insists he has "enjoyed" his role from day one but the topic of his future is for "next week or the international break". On next opponents Brighton: "Many new players but the DNA is still there. The same manager, the same processes and style of play. They had had an impressive start to the season. The first games were impressive. They are in good shape." On Fabian Hurzeler: "I first came across him in Germany, when we had a friendly against his former side St Pauli. I liked a lot what he was doing, this very interesting, young manager. He's done fantastic for such a young age over the last two years and for challenging periods, he found good solutions. He is a very promising prospect on the manager market when you regard his age. He has already delivered on Premier League level two really good seasons. I rate him very high." On Leeds' record at the Amex: "We travel very respectful, knowing about our records away at Brighton. It is also not perfect in the last years so we have to be at our very best to be competitive." Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news Got a question about Leeds? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]