The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Tuesday 11th April) - Leeds must pay Jean Kévin Augustin £24.5m
Good Morning. It's Tuesday 11th April, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Leeds must pay Jean-Kévin Augustin £24.5m
Leeds have been ordered to pay Jean-Kevin Augustin almost £25m in compensation by FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, after being found found guilty of breaching the players contract.
The former French U21 International, initially joined Leeds on loan during the closing stages of the 2020 January transfer window, on the proviso the deal would be made permanent should they win promotion, but three games in, his Elland Road career would come to an abrupt end, with only 48 minutes on the clock.
Augustin arrived at LS11, unfit, out of shape and low on confidence - not the ideal formula for a club eyeing automatic promotion, yet they still went ahead with the deal knowing he had virtually not kicked a ball for months. Following his release that Summer, Augustin spent two seasons at Nantes, before signing for Swiss outfit Basel last Summer.
Even though Augustin has been earning good money since leaving Leeds, FIFA are making them pay every penny of his five year £90,000 a week contract, plus legal expenses. Add the £15.5m settlement Leeds had to pay RB Leipzig, and the absurdity of the situation magnifies. Only at Leeds!
Does Rutter need to go out on loan
It's fair to say that Georginio Rutter's introduction to the Premier League has not gone to plan thus far. The versatile forward (as I'm not sure what position he plays) joined Leeds half way through the January transfer window in a deal, potentially worth £35m, yet early signs indicate they may have made another catastrophic mistake!
He's clocked up 350 minutes of game time in all competitions (211 in the league), and has one of the worst stats in the entire squad. Data from 'WhoScored' place him in 24th position with a rating of just 6.23. Only Gelhardt, Forshaw, Klich and Mateo Joseph are behind him. It's easy to say that he is a player for the future, but who shells out £35m on potential. He turns 21 next week, yet is nowhere near the standard of Summerville or Gnonto.
I noticed that Gracia gave him a run around when we were losing to Arsenal and Crystal Palace, but kept him benched when we were winning against Wolves and Forest. Does he have a part to play at Leeds next season, or does he need to go out on loan?
Does Greenwood have a future at Elland Road
Sam Greenwood has slipped down the pecking order since Javi Gracia took the ER hot seat, amassing just 14 minutes of game time since the Spaniard took the reigns, nine games ago. Signed from Arsenal in the Summer of 2020 for £1.5m, Greenwood has enjoyed his time at Leeds. He was at the forefront of the Academy, before being promoted to the first team squad.
Like so many, making that step up from Academy to first team has not been easy for the former Gooner, and at 21, wants to be playing first team football. Does he have a future at Leeds, should he be sent out on loan next season or be part of the Summer cull?