Leeds United sold centre-back Pontus Jansson in early July.
Leeds United’s sale of Pontus Jansson to Brentford was met with a combination of bemusement and frustration in early July.
Jansson had been Leeds’ star defender, was a cult hero, and was seen by some as the heartbeat of the team.
But it was not just his exit itself which prompted an outcry, but the fee. The £5.5 million fee paid by Brentford was seen as too low.
This appeared to especially be the case in a market where Aston Villa paid £26 million for Tyrone Mings.
Leeds could have got more for Jansson, potentially, had they waited it out.
Instead the Whites made clear they wanted a quick sale.
Leeds did just that, selling Jansson to Championship competitors Brentford.
The alternative
The other option for Leeds would have been to tell Jansson he could leave, but string the situation out until the transfer deadline.
An extreme scenario would have been to still have Jansson at the club, with the aim of selling abroad before the European transfer deadline on September 2.
This might have recouped Leeds some extra money, closer towards £10 million, had they sought to start a bidding war for Jansson’s services.
Yet there would have been a big downside in doing this.
Jansson is a big personality and was a popular player at Leeds. Keeping him around would have been a serious distraction.
Leeds have begun the season well, with four wins and a draw from five games.
On loan centre-back Ben White, Jansson’s replacement, has been one of Leeds’ top players this season.
Would he have been able to perform so strongly and freely if Jansson was still around, on the bench or in the stands?
Leeds’ decision was rightly criticised at the time. It was a gamble, and if White was not performing, then it would be being closely scrutinised.
So far, it seems the way Leeds did it was for the best. The clean break has worked out, even if it meant Leeds sacrificed a higher transfer fee in the process.
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