Robbie Mustoe has labelled Leeds United forward Georginio Rutter as the ‘worst signing’ of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
The former midfielder made it clear that this ‘isn’t a reflection’ on Georginio Rutter, but on the club itself and its treatment of the player, as he told NBC Sports.
Leeds United paid a club-record £35.5 million for the all-action forward in January (Sky Sports), only to sack the man that brought him to the club, Jesse Marsch, not long after – Rutter failed to score as Leeds went tumbling down.
Battling relegation all season long, the club was put in an even deeper mess when Marsch was booted out and those in the Elland Road boardroom took weeks to bring in a replacement.
After shipping a stupid amount of goals, Javi Gracia didn’t last long and he hardly used Rutter, as well as Wilfried Gnonto, which surprised and annoyed the fans.
Either way, Mustoe had the 21-year-old down as the ‘worst signing’ of the season, as he explained that call.
“I am going to go for a bit of a different one,” said Mustoe. “The worst signing of the season, and this doesn’t exactly reflect the player, but the football club, is Georginio Rutter of Leeds United.
“The club-record signing, of a position that was badly, badly needed as a striker. They spent a record amount of money on a young striker that never played or very rarely played.
“No production. No goals. No appearances when he is fit and ready to play in the last half a dozen games, there was nothing from your record signing.
“When you are fighting relegation and you spend all that money on somebody that’s not going to help you. It isn’t a reflection on him. I hope he comes again. But to do that as a club, what a horrific signing.”
What next for Rutter?
Leeds are in a big, big hole right now and they need to get themselves out of their current mess.
The new ownership will help because it will lift the mood, but what next for players like Rutter?
He is your club-record signing, more than likely, he will be on high wages, so do the Whites try to keep him on board and hope he can push them towards promotion?
Or do they take the criticism and financial hit on the chin and loan him out? Good luck to whoever will be the club’s next manager.
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