Leeds United exodus is positive after transfer news elsewhere
The mass exodus of Leeds United players this summer is a positive for the club, despite an overall financial loss on the individual deals, as a clear-out was necessary.
Take Southampton for example, The Athletic are reporting today [19 July] that, unlike Leeds United, they are struggling to shift players off the books following their relegation from the Premier League, resulting in a bloated and expensive squad.
At Leeds, players such as Robin Koch, Brenden Aaronson, Diego Llorente and Rodrigo have all been shifted already, either due to contract clauses permitting their exit, or capitalising on interest and low prices.
While the low fees involved in these players’ exits may be poor long-term business financially, experiencing big losses on individual deals, getting high earners who don’t want to be at the club out of the way will benefit the club massively in the coming season.
The deal for Koch as an example looks particularly bad, after he arrived for £11.3million and will now inevitably leave for no incoming fee bar a small loan payment, but having his wages off the books is better for the club than keeping an unhappy player around while paying him huge sums of money.
Southampton’s struggles to sell players this summer have led to them currently stuck with a huge squad of 37 players and having to move players on as a matter of priority.
Leeds’ exit clauses have left them sure over the majority of players’ futures and allows them to focus on building a strong and competitive squad for Daniel Farke to get the best out of over the coming season.
In other Leeds United news, the 49ers may already have lined up another deal to follow Ethan Ampadu.