Phil Hay details how Luke Ayling hopes were shattered by Leeds United before Middlesbrough loan transfer
Luke Ayling was hopeful of getting a new contract at Leeds United this season before it was made clear to him that wouldn’t be happening, according to Phil Hay.
Speaking on The Square Ball podcast (12 January), the reliable journalist reports that the club made it clear that the veteran wouldn’t be offered a new deal before his contract expires in the summer.
But the player wanted to play more often and thus made the decision to leave, with his loan move to Middlesbrough being confirmed earlier in the week.
“With Ayling I think he absolutely wants to play so I always wondered when January came round whether it was going to be feasible to say to him, look you’re hardly going to get a game but it would be great to have you in the background,” he said.
“And clearly it isn’t. Also my understanding is that Ayling was quite hopeful that he might get a contract extension at some point this season, another 12 months on top of what he had already because his contract is up in the summer.
“That wasn’t going to happen, it had been made clear to him that it wasn’t going to happen. So I do feel like this is the best decision.”
Spot on
Leeds have had some big decisions to make in recent weeks, and the future of Luke Ayling has been one of those going forward.
The veteran was a leader of the dressing room for sure and his experience in this division and also the Premier League would have been a huge boost for the club in the second half of this season.
But also he is a club legend and he deserves the respect of being allowed to play towards the end of his career, and if he isn’t going to play here then it’s only right he’s allowed to go elsewhere.
Now Daniel Farke and the club have to ensure that decision doesn’t come back to bite them on the back side by replacing him adequately, because after allowing Djed Spence to return to Tottenham too the team is now short on right-backs.
It’s the right decision for Leeds United as a football club and as a business, but Ayling will no doubt be sorely missed by fans, players and everyone else around the club because of his character.
In other Leeds news, £10m+ star axed as Cresswell ignored by Farke in predicted XI v Cardiff.