http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/leeds_exit_door_will_close_after_howson_bates_faces_critics_1_4166444
Published on Friday 20 January 2012 22:49
EMBATTLED Leeds United manager Simon Grayson last night moved to assure
fans that no other key players will be following captain Jonny Howson
out of Elland Road during the transfer window.
The Championship club have had a difficult week with the £2m sale of the
Leeds-born midfielder to Norwich City having left supporters furious and
accusing the board of lacking ambition.
An impromptu protest was held by around 150 disgruntled fans on Thursday
night at the Billy Bremner statue and it is expected that chairman Ken
Bates will come in for further criticism today when Ipswich Town visit
West Yorkshire.
Grayson, however, insists Howson’s departure, which was last night
edging closer as the England Under-21 international underwent a medical
at Carrow Road, was in the club’s best interests due to the midfielder
being able to leave on a free transfer in the summer when his contract
runs out.
The Leeds manager said: “I can understand everyone’s frustration and I
am as frustrated as everyone else.
“Jonny has done very well for us but, ultimately, when the offer came
in, I spoke to Jonny and he confirmed his desire to play in the Premier
League.
“I am sure he would have liked to have done that with us but no one
knows what the future holds. He felt it was too good an opportunity to
turn down and we thought it was a good opportunity in a business sense.
We can utilise the money to bring players in during this window.
“If the bid had been half as much then we wouldn’t even have considered
it but we decided it was in the best interests of everyone to sell Jonny.”
Norwich’s interest first emerged last Monday and came as a major
surprise to everyone at Elland Road, including Howson, who has been out
for almost six weeks with a knee injury.
Grayson added: “We had a long meeting on Monday and we couldn’t afford
the luxury of him getting out of contract and walking on a free. We have
tried to tie Jonny down but this is what happens with the Bosman rule.
“We have chipped away in trying to get something done but Jonny has made
it clear he wants to play in the Premier League.
“It was a difficult decision for Jonny but he had to weigh up many
things. He felt the best opportunity was to secure Premier League
football now.
“Nobody likes to lose their best players, especially on free transfers.
“It is difficult in this day and age with the Bosman ruling. (Gary)
Cahill at Bolton is an example of players who have to be sold in the
last year of their contracts. They have had to take half the money they
were offered in the summer.
“Sometimes you can’t extend contracts because of the finances involved
in it all. You never know if a player might get injured, then you would
be stuck with someone on a lot of money who is not contributing to the
team.”
Howson’s imminent departure comes two years on from the transfer window
that saw Leeds turn down a £2m bid from Newcastle United for Jermaine
Beckford due to their belief that the striker’s goals would help secure
promotion from League One.
Asked by the Yorkshire Post if the decision to let the club captain
leave was a sign that United had resigned themselves to not going up
this time around, Grayson replied: “No, not at all. The money we have
got in will go back in to bring players here. With Jermaine, we were a
League One team, Newcastle were a Championship team and he didn’t want
to go to the Championship.
“He was always going to hold out until a Premier League club came
knocking to sign him on a free transfer. He didn’t have to move there
and then to fulfil his ambition of going to a better league.
“We felt that the money could be utilised in a way that would give us a
better chance of promotion and that was how it turned out. He was one
who got us to the Championship.
“Would Jonny have got us to the Premier League? That is a difficult
question to answer because he is still injured.
“He could be back in two weeks, a month or six weeks. It is still in the
balance. That was a factor when we looked at it.
“We can use the money to bring in three or four players to make us
stronger and that is what we are trying to do.”
With Howson on his way out, speculation as to whether Robert Snodgrass,
Ross McCormack, Tom Lees and Adam Clayton could also be on their way has
been a major talking point in Leeds over recent days.
Grayson, however, insists that no one else will be leaving this month as
United look to bounce back from a disappointing run of just one win in
six league outings.
He said: “Jonny’s deal suited us and him. But any other deal has to suit
us, not the individual, because all the other players apart from Aidy
White are all under contract for at least 18 months. We don’t have to do
anything. If they want to leave then tough. They have got enough time on
their contracts to make sure they are not going anywhere.
“We have got a group here who we feel can get promoted but it is all
about succeeding in that. It is not a sign of a lack of ambition that a
club is signing one of our players.
“Our ambition will be shown by speculation linking three or four of our
others players with other clubs. But that won’t be happening and they
won’t be leaving. It is utter nonsense.”
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