Selling Alex Mowatt now was far less controversial than had Leeds cashed in two years ago.
Leeds United took the decision to sell Alex Mowatt last month, netting a small fee which the Yorkshire Evening Post reported to be just £500,000 for the midfielder.
The money was a paltry sum compared to the £7 million touted for Mowatt in 2015, when Everton, Liverpool and Hull City were all named by The Mirror as being interested in a player who had just won Leeds’ player of the year award.
Leeds’ Alex Mowatt celebrates scoring their second goal
So that is £6.5 million Leeds potentially missed out on for a player who failed to kick on in the 18 months since.
Barnsley and Leeds fans react on Twitter to Alex Mowatt’s debut disaster
Hindsight says that cashing in would have been the smart move, but Leeds were right to take the not for sale stance which they did at the time.
It could not have been foreseen that Mowatt’s form would tail off so badly over the following two seasons, in which he floundered under three successive managers following Neil Redfearn leaving, failing to hold down a regular place in the Leeds XI.
Alex Mowatt of Barnsley looks dejected after being sent off
Mowatt played a key role for Leeds in 2014/15, finishing as their second highest scorer with nine Championship goals.
Selling him directly afterwards would have brought scorn and outrage towards club owner Massimo Cellino, who has already found various ways to attract such emotion during his three years at Elland Road.
Leeds rightly hoped that Mowatt would kick on and get even better – and crucially, sign a new contract, which he failed to do.
They could have been better of financially had they cashed in, but this would have sent the wrong message out and invited further bids for their in form stars, and from a sporting perspective Leeds did the right thing.
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