‘I do not want to close any doors’ – Leeds striker responds to interest
By Danny Wright
Leeds striker Marcus Antonsson has revealed that there has been “quite a lot of interest” in him after what has been a miserable debut season in English football.
The 26-year-old had only moved to Elland Road last summer, but found himself as Garry Monk’s third choice striker behind Chris Wood and Souleymane Doukara.
Football Direkt has reported that a number of top-flight Swedish clubs have been keen on helping Antonsson revive his career with a transfer back to Scandinavia.
It is understood that Malmo and AIK have both made enquiries about the former Kalmar forward’s availability, and although Antonsson admits that he is keen to work things out in England, he is still worried about alienating any potential bidders.
“I do not want to close any doors if I say so. But the plan has always been that I will not return home now,” said the striker to Swedish news outlet Fotballskanalen. “I feel I have much more to give here.
“There has been quite a lot of interest all the time since I had to sit a lot on the bench and it is quite natural because I was a hit in Sweden when I left and did it very well then.
“But more than that, it has not been, I have had full focus on Leeds and doing it as well as possible there to increase my chances of playing.”
Antonsson played just 21 times across all competitions for the Whites last season, scoring three goals.
He started just six matches in the Championship and only featured once in the second-tier since the start of 2017, which was all the way back in early January when he played for two minutes against Rotherham.
There could be hope for the Swedish striker now that Monk has left Elland Road and has been replaced by Danish boss Thomas Christiansen.
Working for a fellow Scandinavian could be on benefit for Antonsson, but with Wood still a part of the Leeds squad, it might be very hard to force a 30-goal striker out of the first-team.
In other Leeds news, a reliable journalist has detailed the Whites’ stance on these four transfer targets.
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