Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani has applauded Liam Bridcutt for his commitment at Elland Road after the midfielder completed a move to Championship rivals Nottingham Forest.
Nottingham Forest revealed on their official website that 28-year-old midfielder Bridcutt had completed a move to Mark Warburton’s side, by putting pen to paper on a three-year deal at the City Ground.
The Yorkshire Evening Post claim the former Leeds skipper cost Warburton’s side £1million, after he plummeted down the pecking order under Thomas Christiansen.
Sports mogul Radrizzani sent a message to Bridcutt on his personal Twitter account, thanking the former Chelsea youth player for his “professionalism and leadership” during his spell at Leeds.
I appreciated your professionalism and leadership @LUFC thank you @LiamBridcutt26 and good luck ? https://t.co/4RcScsMFhQ
— Andrea Radrizzani (@andrearadri) August 22, 2017
Bridcutt first joined Leeds in November 2015, remaining with the club until the end of the 2015-16 season before signing permanently at Elland Road and instantly being installed as captain.
However, Bridcutt’s first permanent campaign was marred by injury as he suffered a long-term foot injury in September and struggled to regain his consistency from that point on.
The former Sunderland and Brighton ace made 53 league and cup appearances, but entered the final year of his contract at Elland Road with Christiansen opting to sell him now and receive a transfer fee for his services.
OPINION
Despite Bridcutt’s contract expiring in June 2018, Leeds still managed to rake in a decent fee for the combative midfielder and will be pleased with their work to sell Bridcutt now rather than losing him on a free. It gives the Whites an added transfer budget boost as they look to bolster their squad following the loss of Chris Wood, with a new striker, centre-back and potentially another winger needed in Christiansen’s hunt for promotion. Bridcutt had fallen down the pecking order at Leeds following the signings of Vurnon Anita and Mateusz Klich, and that meant a move was the best option for all parties involved.