Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Lees departure leaves us short of defensive cover
Lees departure leaves us short of defensive cover
Thursday, 31st Jul 2014 13:48 by Tim Whelan

Tom Lees has completed his transfer to Sheffield Wednesday and we seemed to have been rebuffed in our attempt to replace him with Chesterfield’s Liam Cooper.

Lees signed a three-year deal at Hillsborough this morning and joined the Wendies for an undisclosed fee. But that isn’t likely to be very much, as their manager Stuart Gray initially claimed they’d got him for nothing, before Wednesday’s official website backtracked and admitted that they had actually paid us a fee.

Lees was signed by United as an eight year old and progressed through their youth-team system before turning professional in 2009. After a loan spell at Bury he made the breakthrough into the first team and went on to make 135 appearances, and there has been such a turnover of players in the last few years that at 23 he was the longest-serving player in the current squad.

But he never quite lived up to his early potential, as he tended to look a bit lightweight and occasionally slow to pick up his man, though it didn’t help that he was playing in a defence that looked dysfunctional for much of the time, with constant changes of formation under McDermott in particular.

In fact it’s a surprise that Wednesday want to sign a Leeds defender at all after the 6-0 thrashing they handed out the last time we met, though Lees was fortunate to play only half that game before being replaced by Matt Smith. We wish Lees well for the future, but in hindsight it’s a shame we didn’t accept the million pound offer we got when he first broke through, from then-Premiership Bolton.

Lees’ departure leaves us short of central defenders, with Zailiukas already gone and the deal for Rossini falling through, and we now seen unlikely to sign Liam Cooper, with the two clubs some way apart in their valuations of the player. Chesterfield are hoping for a fee of £1m, and Leeds’ second offer was just less than half that amount

Leeds made enquiries after Cooper impressed in last week’s friendly between the clubs, but after our second offer was rebuffed the club has issued a statement to say we will now be looking elsewhere for a new defender. “The club will not be progressing this matter further and any interest in the player has now ended.”

So we won’t be signing Cooper unless the in 22-year-old is keen to move to a higher division and submits a transfer request , and even that could alert a few other clubs in the Championship who might be prepared to out-bid the fee we’ve offered so far. But with time running out before the start of the season we’ll have to bring in some defensive cover pretty soon.

Photo: Action Images



Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.



timlyn added 14:40 - Jul 31
If we assume Lees was on 12k per week then that's over 1.2 million left on his contract plus add ons. For me he was a weak link and Cellino gets him off the books so a good deal. Other will follow the same formula before the window closes and if not then out on loans until the rest of the 12 month contract guys not required fade away next June.
There will be more arrivals I am sure. Chesterfield are being stupid and should have taken the money for Cooper but you don't mess with Cellino and he always either gets his way or moves on quickly to another target.
Nile Ranger is a class act and if he has at last grown up he could be the snip of the season. I know he has been a bad lad but he could just be a great hit with the fans.
The future's bright and the future is starting at last to look WHITE - MOT
0


You need to login in order to post your comments

Rochdale Polls

About Us Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Cookies Advertising
© FansNetwork 2024