Troy Deeney drops Leeds relegation prediction as he calls for another sacking at Nottingham Forest
Troy Deeney thinks that Leeds United’s relegation rivals Nottingham Forest may yet stay up despite sacking manager Sean Dyche.
Dyche became the third Forest managerial casualty this season after the departures of Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou.
Forest currently sit 17th in the Premier League, three points above the relegation zone and three adrift of a spirited Leeds side.
Just over a week on from their 3-1 loss at Elland Road in a relegation six-pointer on 6 February, ex-Watford striker Deeney thinks all this will lead to “chaos” at Forest after all this “chopping and changing”.
The 37-year-old had three permanent managers and one interim boss when Watford were relegated to the Championship in 2020 and he thinks that environment is not conducive for a team trying to beat the drop. But, he still thinks Leeds could go down, despite their apparent stability at present.
Troy Deeney: I think Leeds will be relegated
Deeney wrote in a column for The Sun that playing under four managers in one season usually only ends in one thing: “relegation”.
When he had four managers in one season at Watford, he said: “That sort of churn creates nothing but division within the club and especially within the squad.”
Deeney added that some players, such as fan favourite Ryan Yates, will be “deeply hurt” by what is happening at Forest this season.
In contrast, another group of players at City Ground will “get themselves a move away in the summer and everything will be fine”.
Deeney wrote: “Very quickly you can see that they go into selfish mode. They will do their job, no more than that, and then get out quickly in the summer.
“At the first sign of adversity, those who are uncertain think: [expletive] it, we’re getting relegated’. They don’t know what to do and are unrecognisable as a player.”
However, Deeney thinks Daniel Farke‘s Leeds are more likely to go down despite their 2-2 comeback draw at Chelsea on Tuesday night.
He wrote, “Leeds are picking up some great results, with their point at Chelsea following a win over Forest, but I still worry about them and think they are the most likely to go back down to the Championship.”
Former Forest Green Rovers man Deeney also asked when Forest’s Global Head of Football, Edu, was “going to face the boot”.
He feels that the former Arsenal chief was “at the heart” of the club’s problems at the start of the season, which resulted in Nuno’s exit. Deeney stated that Edu “doesn’t have any clear philosophy” and him and his staff must “look deeper” into why their players are underperforming and offer “incentives” to stay up.
Will Leeds’ lack of January additions send them down?
Heading into the January transfer window, manager Farke hinted that the 49ers Enterprises would do some transfer business in their bid to stay in the Premier League.
Much was made of their pursuit of Jorgen Strand Larsen, but in the end, Leeds were outbid by Crystal Palace for the Wolves striker.
The 25-year-old moved to Selhurst Park for £48million, while Leeds’ sole January signing proved to be Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte.
Farke had been crying out for a number 10 for multiple transfer windows, but now he has one, it doesn’t seem like the German is a big fan of the 21-year-old.
Indeed, the Argentina international is yet to start a game for Leeds, with his outings limited to short cameo appearances.
While he could be given a chance to shine against Birmingham City in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday, he doesn’t seem like someone who is going to start regularly for Leeds.
Forest, Tottenham, and West Ham all strengthened more than Leeds in the winter window and despite the Whites being on the up, they could be an injury away from a disaster.
Leeds didn’t really twist much in January in terms of signings. Whether that comes back to haunt them remains to be seen.
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