The outspoken Peterborough United chairman let his feelings be known following reports that this summer’s loan exodus from Elland Road is the result of a contract clause
Peterborough United owner Darragh MacAnthony has poured scorn on whoever was responsible for permitting relegation loan clauses to be inserted into so many Whites players’ contracts, leaving the club facing an uphill battle in the transfer market this summer.
Seven players have left Leeds United on loan since the end of last season: Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Max Wober, and Jack Harrison. Reports have suggested those moves were the result of a clause in many players’ contracts allowing them to go out on season-long loans following their relegation back to the Championship.
Speaking on his podcast The Hard Truth, MacAnthony said: “Whoever put a [bleep] loan clause in for relegation needs to be lined up, shot, and never allowed to work in football again. I don’t know who did those deals – the guy that was there before? I’m sure it’s not the current ownership.
“The idea that…yes, [I understand] a relegation [transfer] clause, you sign a premium young player from Europe, their agent is going to go ‘well Leeds are going to go down, if Leeds go down, £25m’, so [Leeds] get their money back and a profit.
Read more: Why Leeds United are letting so many players leave on loan after relegation
“But to allow a clause that states that said player can go out on loan if his wages are paid for the season, where you get none of your fee back…the player can go on loan, have a [bleep] season wherever they go on loan and then completely lose their value – and worse than that, your team is weakened.
“I feel sorry for the people that have now taken over fully that that’s happened, and I feel sorry for the manager, because they’ve lost some [bleep] key players, they’re going to continue to lose players – they lost Harrison last week, one of the strikers doesn’t want to play – and the worst part is they haven’t really done any business.
“So I don’t know if it’s going to be like lastminute.com where you’re going to see Leeds sign five or six players. I’ve said this before, they are a [bleep] gigantic club. I think they’re under good new ownership, I think they’re going to be fine, I do think they’re going to get back to the Premier League in the next two years.
“But they need to put their foot down on bringing in players to help Daniel Farke, and that needs to happen from tomorrow onwards with two weeks left in the window, so that late in the window they haven’t got issues with it, and they need to learn that never again do you ever agree to put a loan clause in.
“Sell clause, fine for relegation, but a loan close…[bleep] move on to another player. So that was just bad business from the previous hierarchy, allowing that to happen, and I feel for the Leeds fans.”
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