Ex-Leeds United forward Jermaine Beckford hosted a recent edition of TalkSPORT’s GameDay podcast where he discussed, among other events from his days at Elland Road, his decision to leave the club and join Everton in 2010.
Beckford originally joined Leeds United in March 2006, scoring a total of 84 goals and providing 11 assists in his 147 appearances for the Whites before he departed from the club in 2010. The ex-forward scored 20 or more goals in three of the five seasons in which he featured for the Whites, ending the 2007/08 season, the 2008/09 season and the 2009/10 season as Leeds’ top goalscorer in all competitions.
With that in mind, it may be fair to say that Beckford played a significant role for the Whites during his time at the Yorkshire-based club.
As per the BBC, Beckford had indicated his desire to leave Elland Road in January 2010 when Newcastle United, who would go on to win the Championship that season, made an offer of £1.5m to sign him which was rejected by the Whites, who kept the forward at the club for the remainder of that term and his goals helped Leeds to earn promotion from League One to the Championship in the 2009/10 campaign.
However, he didn’t remain at the club for much longer and with his contract set to expire at the end of June 2010, Leeds cancelled his deal at the end of May 2010, allowing him to join Premier League Everton on a free transfer.
Beckford reflected on his decision to leave Leeds and join Everton in 2010 during this recent edition of TalkSPORT’s GameDay podcast, where he said: “Leaving Leeds was one of the hardest things [I’ve done] in my life. I’d been at Leeds from the ages of 22 to 26.
“When I walked through the door, I was a young, naive, a little bit of an ego and a ‘chip on the shoulder’ person, alongside a player, but when I left, I had a level of maturity about me that I picked up from the fans, from the staff, and the players that I’d been fortunate enough to play alongside and learn from first-hand.
“It was a tough time for me because when I walked through the door at Thorp Arch for the first time to sign my contract, I said to myself – ‘I want to finish my career here, this place is amazing!’
“By [the] end of my second year, I’d fallen in love with everybody that was connected with the club, so to say goodbye to those people that had been there beside me, fighting with me, going through all the ups and downs, all the positive times, the negative times, was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.”
Did Beckford make the right decision by leaving Leeds United in 2010?
YES, IT WAS THE RIGHT DECISION
NO, HE SHOULD HAVE STAYED
TIF Thoughts…
Judging by his comments on this edition of the GameDay podcast, it appears as though Beckford grew as a person and not just as a player, during his time at Leeds United. With that in mind, it may be understandable why he had a hard time saying goodbye to the club, even though he was making a move to the Premier League.