Glen Kamara makes Leeds United transfer admission in new promotion verdict
Glen Kamara admits that leaving Leeds United after one season was “bittersweet” after missing out on promotion back to the Premier League.
In an interview with GiveMeSport (19 November), Kamara said that the Whites could and should have been promoted back to the Premier League last season, avoiding the Championship play-offs altogether.
The 29-year-old was sold to Rennes this summer following the play-off final defeat, with the Peacocks netting a healthy profit from the midfielder’s £8.6million departure [Beren Cross, 15 July].
Kamara said: “It was bitter-sweet leaving Leeds – we were very close to going up. We probably should have gone up automatically. It was a tough one to take, losing in the play-off Final.
“I was only there for a year, so moving so soon was a bit of a weird one, but things just happen quickly in football and you have to be ready.
“Some players have moved on, including me, but I think Leeds will have a good chance of going back up to the Premier League.”
Glen Kamara transfer could still come back to bite Leeds United
With profit and sustainability rules always a concern for Championship clubs, particularly those with a budget and turnover like Leeds’, selling a solid but not spectacular player for a profit made sense.
Kamara moving on after just one season in LS11 understandably raised some eyebrows, but it has seen United able to bring in the likes of Japan international Ao Tanaka as arguably an upgrade.
However, given only Joe Rothwell had come through the doors at the time, and the churn which Daniel Farke’s side has undergone since, the jury is still out on whether Kamara’s exit was the right move.
Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev – who were both regulars alongside Kamara in midfield last season – are both out until the new year with lengthy injuries, leaving the Whites light in this area of the pitch.
With key players on the sidelines and free agent Josuha Guilavogui brought in as cover, it remains to be seen if selling Kamara for a fairly low fee will prove to be a shrewd move come the end of the season.
In other Leeds news, United fans will be fuming after what former director of football Victor Orta has said about a failed transfer.
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