Phil Hay: What happens to Leeds loan players if EFL extends Championship season?
Athletic journalist Phil Hay has said he can’t see a scenario where loan players would be released or return to their parent clubs before the end of the season if there was an extension because of the Coronavirus.
At the present time, EFL games are still going ahead as planned but things are changing fast.
Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta has tested positive and the Arsenal squad has been isolated. The Players Championship golf tournament in America has been abandoned after Round 1.
It seems like football in the UK is the last stand in the sporting world and we can’t imagine that can go on for too much longer.
One of the most talked-about solutions to the problem is to suspend the season and then finish it late, with the Euro 2020 tournament potentially being postponed until 2021.
That’s not a perfect solution as there’s no guarantee that the pandemic will be under control in the summer.
It also poses a unique question which was answered by Hay on the latest episode of his podcast – what would happen to loan players whose deals run out in June?
Leeds have players like Jack Harrison, Ben White, Illan Meslier and Jean-Kevin Augustin on loan, with the latter only set to become a permanent signing if Leeds go up. Meslier is the club’s number one keeper.
“That is a very good question,” Hay said.
“Under normal circumstances, they would be loaned until the end of June which is when the season finishes.
“If you end up as a free agent you always become a free agent on July 1. There are almost no exceptions to this.
“In normal circumstances, all loan players are signed to be at the club for the play-offs, so until the end of May.
“If it was a short extension of a couple of weeks I don’t think it would be an issue. But, if it moved into July then it would have to be discussed.
“As that would be a problem for everyone I suspect there would have to be a blanket agreement where the date extends to the very, very end of the season.
“I cannot imagine a scenario where the season gets to the final throes and players become available as free agents or have to return to their parent clubs.”
We’re definitely entering uncharted territory here and this season will go down in the record books for all the wrong reasons.
Loan deals run until June but, as Hay said, they’re designed to last for the season, so you would imagine that deals would automatically be extended. However, there could potentially be legal challenges to an automatic shift in working contracts.
And, if a player is a free agent, then that could throw up huge complications, especially if that player isn’t happy at the club.
Thankfully, that shouldn’t be the case at Leeds where the squad is united and the players happy.
However, that this is happening and that we’re even asking these questions with Leeds finally on the brink of promotion is almost too Leeds to be true.
In other Leeds United news, ‘For the love of god’, ‘Not now’ – Plenty of Leeds fans react to EFL Twitter update