Leeds United fans were disappointed the club let Sam Byram leave for West Ham, but they have not missed him.
Back in January 2016, Leeds United decided to bite the bullet and cash in on Sam Byram with six months remaining on his contract.
The Whites let him leave for West Ham United, for a fee of £3.7 million (The Independent).
Byram is yet to really make Leeds regret that move, while they have not suffered at all in relation to his departure.
Prior to his sale, Gaetano Berardi was already making it difficult for him to get into the team at right-back, and Byram was being deployed further forward in order to get game time.
But perhaps the biggest plus for Leeds has been that Byram’s departure pushed them to go and sign Luke Ayling in the following transfer window.
Leeds snapped Ayling up from Bristol City for just £750,000 – one of the club’s biggest bargains in recent years.
The success of that move was highlighted yesterday, as Leeds announced they had extended Ayling’s contract through to 2021.
There will always be setbacks for a club at Leeds’ level, aspiring to get into the Championship promotion mix, and selling homegrown talent Byram was one.
They have proved that it is how they respond to them that really counts, and Ayling’s success has turned a worrying scenario into a positive.
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