Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear expressed his interest in signing both Cameron Archer and Gustavo Hamer this summer.
In a statement during an exclusive interview with The Square Ball, Kinnear conveyed his disappointment at losing out on these players to Sheffield United, which some may view as a blunt and disrespectful remark. This comment added an intriguing dimension to his discussion of various summer topics, including the transfer window.
For many years, Leeds United were always the biggest club in Yorkshire by some margin. But, long gone are the days of European campaigns at Elland Road. In the 21st century, Leeds have spent seven seasons as a Premier League club.
Judging by their CEO’s remarks, it appears that he thinks Leeds United are entitled to sign the best players over Premier League teams, which is a wild thought.
He said: “When you look at players who were on our target list and we would have liked to sign, such as Gustavo Hamer or Gyokores at Coventry or Cameron Archer at Aston Villa, players who we thought would be on the cusp of joining a lower level Premier League team or good Championship side. We were very confident and I think we were proved right in our ability to fight off Leicester and Southampton. I don’t think Leicester and Southampton have signed anybody ahead of us in terms of who we wanted.
“But where we have lost out is to Premier League sides. It’s depressing, with the greatest of respect to Bournemouth, it’s depressing to lose players to Bournemouth or Sheffield United. If you take someone like Cameron Archer. He has had a Championship loan and doesn’t want to go again. He wants a permanent home.”
Sheffield United don’t have a European history to boast, but they are a Premier League football club with momentum, so, why shouldn’t they be beating Championship teams like Leeds United in signing players.
