Leeds United: Don Goodman makes Jadon Sancho comparison at Manchester United after Djed Spence January transfer call
We’re delighted to welcome EFL expert and former striker Don Goodman as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Elland Road.
Don Goodman says Leeds United must have felt they had no choice but to send Djed Spence back to Tottenham due to his “irretrievable” situation.
Leeds announced on 4 January that Spence had returned to the Premier League club after making just seven appearances for the Whites.
Spence had been due to spend the season on loan at Elland Road and his arrival in the summer transfer window was considered a huge coup.
The former Nottingham Forest player took time to find his feet in West Yorkshire, but he slowly become a key player under Daniel Farke.
Spence’s return to Tottenham – and subsequent switch to Genoa on loan for the rest of the season – therefore came as a big surprise.
Speaking on 5 January, via The Standard, Farke suggested Spence’s attitude was a contributing factor to the decision taken by the club.
That came following murmurings of a possible falling out on the Thorp Arch training ground in the days leading up to his exit.
Discussing Leeds’ decision to end Spence’s loan deal four months early, Goodman compared the situation to that of Jadon Sancho at Manchester United.
“It’s always difficult to comment on something like that when you’re not there and don’t know exactly what’s gone on,” Goodman told MOT Leeds.
“But I can tell you that training ground bust-ups and incidents are common – it’s just they stay in-house, or certainly did when I was playing.
“Back then, nobody ever really found out and you quickly kissed and made up. Whether player to player, player to manager, player to coach, you’ve just got to get on with it.
“At the end of the day, you’re all there with the same goal in mind and to pull the same way. But it’s not unusual for this to occur.
“Djed Spence was getting playing time at Elland Road so it leads you to think it was almost irretrievable in the eyes of Daniel Farke and the football club.
“Without the details, though, it’s difficult to properly comment. You only need to look at Jadon Sancho at Manchester United. Clearly that went way too far.
“For me, the old style mentality is that the club and Sancho needed their heads banging together because he could have really helped United, rather than waste six months of his career.
“And by the way, your career goes very, very quickly – you don’t want to be wasting a minute, let alone six months, out of sheer bloody-mindedness.
“It’s clearly something Daniel Farke and Leeds felt was irretrievable and it’s better for Djed Spence to leave the club.”
In other Leeds United news, a pundit has shared what made Farke “absolutely apoplectic’ during the comfortable win against Cardiff City.