Former Leeds United head coach Neil Redfearn says young talents may have been better off staying put or holding out for better moves.
West Ham’s Sam Byram clutches his leg
Former Leeds United boss Neil Redfearn has questioned whether academy talents Sam Byram and Lewis Cook could have landed better Premier League moves than they did.
Byram was sold to West Ham in January while Cook was sold to Bournemouth, with Leeds cashing in on the duo during the last year of their contracts.
Redfearn was academy director at Leeds and helped both players progress into the first team.
Speaking to journalist Simon Austin an an interview published on his personal blog, Redfearn questioned whether either players should have moved at all, particularly to the clubs they did.
He said: “I think if they’d have been at Leeds now, with the right information being put into them and the right eye over them, developing them, they could have got better moves out of it. And they might not have needed to move.”
Former Leeds United manager Neil Redfearn
Byram, 23, has been in and out of the West Ham side this season, starting only three of a possible 12 Premier League matches.
Cook is younger at just 19, but has not had a good season. He started only one match, before being sidelined with an injury.
Leeds United’s Lewis Cook scoresBournemouth are in ninth place and West Ham in 17th, while Leeds are in seventh place in the Championship, an outside bet to reach the play-offs.
Redfearn added regarding Byram: “They’ve got a move, but for their long-term development, was that really the best thing for them as footballers?
“Byram will become another player at West Ham. Where does the development come in that?”
West Ham’s Sam Byram receives instructions
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