Leeds United fan and presenter Joe Wainman took to Twitter to send a damning message to the players that have recently asked to leave the club, which was revealed by Marcelo Bielsa during his pre-match press conference.
One player who was seemingly eager to leave Leeds United last month – presumably after seeing teammate Cody Drameh depart on loan – was Crysencio Summerville, however, he was not granted his wish, although that was not down to Bielsa.
Does Bielsa deserve more criticism?
Yes!
No!
The Argentine manager confirmed to the media during his press conference that any player who tells him they wish to leave has his blessing to do so, adding that a player ‘simply not wanting to be here is sufficient’.
However, it didn’t end there, with Graham Smyth reporting that as many as 10 players told Bielsa that they wanted to leave the club in search of more game time, and with only a handful of first-team players currently out on loan, that means a fair few in the senior side may not see themselves as valuable members of the squad.
This is something that Wainman was not pleased with as he took to Twitter to blast these wantaway players. He said: ‘If people don’t want to be here, just like MB states, get on your bike!’
TIF Thoughts on Leeds players wanting to leave…
It should raise slight concerns amongst Leeds fans if that amount of players were looking to leave the club, especially when their squad is already so thin.
However, it is also not surprising when you look at how loyal Bielsa is to players that maybe aren’t performing well, as young players such as Drameh, Summerville, Charlie Cresswell and Lewis Bate have been handed two league starts between them. Meanwhile, others such as Rodrigo, Daniel James and Tyler Roberts have racked up 34 starts in the league between them while returning just five goals combined.
While it won’t have been great for Leeds fans such as Wainman to feel this way when players are looking for an exit out the club, players such as Drameh should also be applauded for having the desire to go out, drop down a league and prove themselves by playing week in, week out instead of picking up their wage and sitting on the bench.
Wainman probably speaks for a lot of Leeds fans as they have a manager in Bielsa that other coaches such as Pep Guardiola admire very much, so it is slightly peculiar that so many don’t want to stay and learn their craft under him.
In other news: ‘My reading of it’ – Phil Hay reveals why Leeds star didn’t leave on Deadline Day