Angus Kinnear branded a ‘baby’, told to ‘grow up’ over controversial Leeds United to Bournemouth exit for Tyler Adams
Angus Kinnear has been branded a “baby” by Alexi Lalas over his comments on Tyler Adams’ move from Leeds United to Bournemouth this summer.
The American pundit said on his State of the Union podcast (14 September) that the Whites chief executive sounded like a “scorned lover” when denouncing the tactics of the USMNT midfielder and his agent, as well as Luis Sinisterra and his, in securing a move to the Premier League club amid the threat of legal action over their release clauses [The Square Ball, 7 September].
The former US international blamed Kinnear and the Leeds United hierarchy for causing the situation by getting relegated, claiming that agents’ jobs are to get the best situation for their clients.
Lalas said (39m 50s): “Oh my god grow up. What a baby. Jeez. This is what happens! This is what happens when you go down and you have players that have other opportunities because of the talent that they have.
“So you probably should have picked better, gotten better players, gotten betters coaches, and figured out a way to stay in the EPL, and then you wouldn’t have lost your players.
“Come on. I don’t know what he’s referring to ultimately in terms of the actions but to have an agent work on your behalf, to have them do things that give you as a player plausible deniability, that is part of what the buffer of an agent is.
“And that is part of what the job of an agent is. It isn’t to look out for the team, it’s to look out for the player, and only the player, to get that player the best possible deal or situation that he or she can get for them.
“And that’s what happened in this case when it came to Tyler Adams.”
Upset
Lalas may be right about where agents’ loyalties lie but that doesn’t stop them burning bridges on behalf of players being any more infuriating for clubs and fans.
And Leeds United can just as easily point out that Jesse Marsch, Weston McKennie and Brenden Aaronson are some of the coaches and players they chose who weren’t good enough, when Lalas has a history of talking down the club to back the Americans at Elland Road.
At the same time there is mileage in the argument that Victor Orta, Andrea Radrizzani and company got numerous decisions wrong over the past two years to cause the relegation that saw so many players want to leave, and Kinnear was heavily involved himself.
Adams himself is largely exempt from the main criticism as he was one of the stronger performers for the Whites last season before the hamstring surgery that ended his season.
Under the new 49ers ownership the American influence at the club has increased in the boardroom even as it has decreased in the dressing room, and there appears to be a more stable situation now.
The transfer window was difficult, and being obliged to let Adams and Sinisterra go in order to avoid a messy legal dispute obviously won’t sit well with many at the club, but there is plenty of blame to go round for the situation that led to that.
With the deadline now passed the club are finally looking forward under Daniel Farke and hoping to build their way back to the Premier League.
In other Leeds United news, the club are still facing the prospect of losing a player the manager loves for nothing.