Transfer Rumours/Signed

whatastraplength

white dragon wroteI disagree about Clayton , he is a young lad learning his trade.

er, so is Howson, so was Johnson - didn't stop either of them getting a right old slagging from all and sundry on a regular basis.

as I said, I'm not saying he's a bad player, I just don't get how he's become infallible golden boy.

and for anyone to suggest our midfield options now are better than last season is mental in my opinion

Reggie_Perrin

Whilst Bates has a point re stupid wages etc you can't deny players the opportunity to earn it whilst it is offered. If it all comes crashing down in a big smelly pile of debt and Leeds are OK then fair do's but that won't help a player who is offered £20k a week for 3 years by Norwich and £11k by Leeds for 2.

Placid

whatastraplength wrote
white dragon wroteI disagree about Clayton , he is a young lad learning his trade.

er, so is Howson, so was Johnson - didn't stop either of them getting a right old slagging from all and sundry on a regular basis.

as I said, I'm not saying he's a bad player, I just don't get how he's become infallible golden boy.

and for anyone to suggest our midfield options now are better than last season is mental in my opinion

Hes the golden boy because all the others have been sold on. If you were Snodgrass what would you do know?

white_dragon

whatastraplength wrote
white dragon wroteI disagree about Clayton , he is a young lad learning his trade.

er, so is Howson, so was Johnson - didn't stop either of them getting a right old slagging from all and sundry on a regular basis.

as I said, I'm not saying he's a bad player, I just don't get how he's become infallible golden boy.

and for anyone to suggest our midfield options now are better than last season is mental in my opinion

I never said our options are better than last season. Just looking at what we might be left with.

Placid

Dom Matteo in the YEP.

[quote]I’m not shocked by the news that Leeds United are selling Jonathan Howson to Norwich City. Reading between the lines, you could see this coming a mile off.

He was into the last seven months of his contract and clearly wanted to play in the Premier League next season. It was pretty clear too that he doubted whether he’d get Premier League football at Elland Road next season. As soon as someone stepped in with a bid, it went without saying that Leeds would consider it.

Deep down I thought Howson would leave when his deal ended in the summer but it’s no surprise at all to see Leeds cashing in on him now. They’ve done it before and I’m not the only person who believes it will happen again in the future. The question at times like this is always ‘who’s next?’

The issue with Howson isn’t really the effect his sale will have on Leeds United’s season. He’s injured at the moment and wasn’t going to be fit until March. If Leeds don’t win promotion – and at the moment that’s hardly a given – then it won’t be because they chose to take Norwich’s offer midway through the transfer window.

But the sale of Howson is disappointing on so many levels. No matter what you thought of him as a player (and for the record I’ve always rated him) you can’t deny that he’s the sort of lad Leeds should be building their squad around – homegrown, talented and squeaky clean. He’s as good an ambassador as the club could ask for, and the maturity he’s shown by captaining Leeds at the age of 23 is outstanding.

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It is frustrates me, as I’m sure it frustrates the supporters, to see Leeds struggle time and again to hold on to players of Howson’s ability and reputation. It worries me too to hear the club say that he’s moving on because he doesn’t think they can meet his ambition quickly enough. That’s a pretty worrying message and something Leeds should think about. You have to ask whether other high-profile players will now take the same attitude.

To see things from Howson’s point of view, the attraction of Norwich is obvious. They’re a Premier League club with an impressive, emerging manager who will pay him a far bigger wage than he’s earning at Leeds. Knowing what I do about Howson, it’ll be the level of football rather than the money which appeals to him most.

I’ve made the point before that Bradley Johnson’s success in the Premier League this season is an eye-opener for every professional in the divisions below. I thought a lot of Johnson in his time at Elland Road but I’d be lying if I said he was outstanding in the Championship. Howson is a more naturally gifted footballer and if Johnson can make a go of the top flight then I’d fully expect Howson to do the same.

And in reality, what prospect is there of Leeds being in the Premier League next season? Or the year after for that matter? They’re 11th at the moment and they’re going to need a storming second half of the season to make sure that a play-off place is tied down in April. Howson’s a local lad with Leeds United in his blood but I’ve no doubt that if he genuinely felt that the club were heading for the top flight in the near future, he’d have signed on the dotted line a while ago.

There’s no point in pretending that Leeds should be able to compete financially with a club who have the benefit of Premier League income. In a straight fight, Norwich can beat any offer from Elland Road hands down. But I don’t believe that this is down to hard cash, on Howson’s part anyway.

For him, this seems to be about his career. He’s basically saying that Leeds don’t offer the immediate prospects he’s looking for. It’s a sad admission from a lad whose ties to Elland Road are stronger than most – and sad to think that Norwich are better placed to give him what he wants.

If I was a player at Thorp Arch today, I’d feel absolutely gutted. The squad are losing their club captain and an influential player (albeit one who’s injured at the moment). I can’t imagine any of Howson’s team-mates think Leeds will be better off without him next season.

Howson scores goals and he creates them. He’s a 100 per-cent performer and a match-winner on his day. The fact that he’s appeared so many times over the years and so much under Simon Grayson tells you how big an asset he is. Yet again, Grayson is losing someone he must have been desperate to keep. He’ll understand why Howson’s being sold, and the reported fee of £2million is not bad money, but it’s difficult to see the positives in this.

It might be slightly better if we hadn’t been here before but Leeds have a track record of losing good players – Johnson, Jermaine Beckford, Max Gradel and Neil Kilkenny for example. As I said earlier, you can only wonder who’s next. We’ve seen speculation about Ross McCormack and Adam Clayton this week and reports linking Luciano Becchio to other clubs. Opposition managers will be looking at the sale of Howson and thinking deals with Leeds are possible as long as the price is right.

My honest fear is that there’s more of this to come. If a decent offer comes in for Snodgrass, can the club honestly say that they won’t listen to it or accept it? We’ve heard in the past that players aren’t for sale but circumstances keep dictating that decent assets are sold or leave the club on free transfers. It’s hard to build a settled, successful side while rival clubs pick away at your squad.

All in all, this hasn’t been an enjoyable season so far. I can feel apathy and disillusionment among the supporters and selling someone like Howson won’t help. Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably the right decision in the circumstances and it’s better than losing him on a free in the summer but you really feel that it shouldn’t have come to this. A club like Leeds must be able to convince a prospect like Howson that they’re going onwards and upwards at a rate of knots.

It’s vital now that the money raised is invested in the team. It’s also vital that Leeds get to the end of the transfer window with the rest of their top players intact. I’ve got a horrible feeling that Howson might not be the last to leave this month – or the last to attract a bid. And if lads like Snodgrass don’t go now then what chance of them being here in August if Leeds aren’t promoted?

Assuming he signs, Howson will be excited by this move. He’s right to be excited. But he’ll be disappointed too – disappointed that he’s gone as far as he feels he can with Leeds. Some will criticise him for turning his back on his hometown club. Personally I think he’s making a hard decision and getting it right. Soon he’ll be a Premier League footballer and no-one at Elland Road can guarantee him that.[/quote]

old_codger

I don't see anything in DM's article I think is wrong.

Placid

[quote=old codger]I don't see anything in DM's article I think is wrong.[/quote]

He writes well. Knows how a player will think, knows the inner workings of a club and does without the bias of passion and emotion.

Basically he's saying Howson would leave on a free at the end of the season. Leeds have taken the money.

Bet its £1m up front and the rest in appearances as he's injured.

Even so it the whole atmosphere of the place. The lack of investment in the team. Stinks. After Saturday I'm out. I'm taking the lad for his birthday. Tried talking him round to Guiseley at home to Droyslden. No joy.

old_codger

He's also saying Howson would have stayed had he more faith in the direction the club is going/being taken.

90Piesanhour

Speaks volumes about the way the club is 'run'. As Dom says, he isn't the first to go and he's unlikely to be the last.

Bates isn't interested in Leeds, or even football (how many games has he actually attended?) just money. The strange thing is, he's put the club through administration and welched on all its debts (the twat), which should have made them debt free?.. So why suddenly a selling club? Bates is wanting to make one final big deal, which in his case is to get Leeds into the Prem and get them sold to some millionaire investor, but how's this gonna happen if he sells - or allows the sale - of the very players who stand a chance of getting the team to where he wants? Bringing in half a dozen Championship/League One standard loanees just ain't gonna cut the mustard.

Can't be bothered discussing it further, to be honest. Just thinking about Bates makes me want to puke, and the fact that there are a significant majority of people still willing to put money his way while he arse-rapes the team they've come to see just beggars belief.

The twat.

Loose_Lips

The only way this makes sense - asset stripping - is if you know your time is up and therefore liquidating all and sundry ASAP.

I bet he has 6 months to live.

Just thinking out loud, like.

Matt_the_Bat

Just read a twitter rumour that Howsons failed his first medical

gorefidel

Matt the Bat wroteJust read a twitter rumour that Howsons failed his first medical

:lol:

Matt_the_Bat

and that Delph will sign on an initial months loan tomorrow...

gorefidel

Matt the Bat wroteand that Delph will sign on an initial months loan tomorrow...

:lol: :lol:

Harvest

Matt the Bat wroteJust read a twitter rumour that Howsons failed his first medical

Give me five minutes and I'll nip out and see if the For Sale sign is still in his mum's garden.

Mike_Jones

gorefidel wrote
Matt the Bat wroteJust read a twitter rumour that Howsons failed his first medical

:lol:

This would be brill in a piss-up-in-brewery kind of way - totally piss off your fanbase and show (again) to the rest of the squad that you have zero ambition to get promoted, then the deal all falls apart. Fucking genius.

We are Leeds. Unfortunately.

Djpekingman

Loose Lips wroteThe only way this makes sense - asset stripping - is if you know your time is up and therefore liquidating all and sundry ASAP.

I bet he has 6 months to live.

Just thinking out loud, like.

Hoping out loud more like.

king_of_the_slums

Harvest wrote
Matt the Bat wroteJust read a twitter rumour that Howsons failed his first medical

Give me five minutes and I'll nip out and see if the For Sale sign is still in his mum's garden.

Post a picture up of the mound of bouquets and cards..

Reggie_Perrin

I suppose there remains a chance that we do do in fact replace him with someone better.

Matt_the_Bat

Phil Hay tweeted this morning Howson deal to go through this weekend
Delph to sign for a mth villa not ready to commit to any longer

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