Kieran Maguire hits out at Leeds United after £91m transfer reveal
Leeds United have been forced to change their transfer strategy after making a £91million loss on players this summer.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the Whites’ poor transfer record in previous years.
Following their relegation to the Championship last season, Leeds have cleared out their squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Ten first-team players have left Elland Road already this summer, with five players leaving the club on loan after including relegation clauses in their contracts.
Leeds spent a total of £95million signing Rodrigo, Brenden Aaronson, Robin Koch, Max Wober, Rasmus Kristensen and Marc Roca following their promotion to the Premier League in 2020.
However, they have recouped just £4million this summer in loan and transfer fees.
Maguire insists Leeds got their recruitment wrong while in the Premier League but admits they had to take a ‘gamble’ on transfers to try and be competitive in the top flight.
“Player trading is part-art and part-science as far as football clubs are concerned,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“It looks as though Leeds got neither the art nor science correct when it comes to their recent recruitment.
“They’re not the only club who have had to deal with some fairly significant step-downs in terms of sale value compared to prices paid for players.
“That is a result of them coming into the Premier League and trying to compete in the top flight.
“Sometimes clubs take a gamble on transfers that are not as successful as the club would like them to be.
“I’m sure Leeds will now look at their recruitment strategy in the future to avoid repeating the mistake of selling players for far less than their initial purchase fee.“
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