Under the 49ers, Leeds United will attempt to reestablish themselves as one of England’s most attractive clubs.
The Whites are in the running for automatic promotion back to the Premier League, which would be the first big step towards the new ownership’s goals at Elland Road.
Leeds spent three years in the Premier League until their full takeover this summer. However, under former owner Andrea Radrizzani, the club was unable to compete financially, despite his ambitions to return the team to Europe, as it had been in the early 2000s.
Unfortunately, Leeds went far beyond their resources at the time, and their triumph was short-lived. At the time, players had no idea what was going to happen, and Elland Road was an appealing prospect.
Now, on the newest episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast, Jermaine Jenas has revealed how he actually wanted to transfer to Leeds in 2002, after Nottingham Forest accepted a £5 million bid.
Former England player Jenas claims he wanted to join Leeds above Newcastle and Manchester United, who had both had offers accepted, but was urged not to by Paul Hart because he knew the club was about to ‘break apart’.
Jenas tells out on attempted Leeds move.
He stated: “He [Paul Hart] went, and we had three bids on the table. Sir Alex Ferguson called and simply said we bid £3 million and nothing more because it’s a privilege to play for the football club. David O’Leary has called from Leeds; they have bid £5 million, Newcastle has bid £5 million, and the car will be here in an hour.
“So I’m driving from Nottingham to Newcastle and I’m telling my agent that I want to go to Leeds, and I knew Rio [Ferdinand] because I’d run into him a few times, as you could expect!
Rio was there, as was Fowler, and the Champions League was just getting underway.
“And Paul Hart’s son was my agent, and Paul had previously been to Leeds and stated you would not be coming there. He claimed it was going to break apart, and you weren’t going. United was the only team I said no to right away because I wanted to play. I looked in their midfield and saw Veron, Scholes, Giggs, Roy Keane, and Becks.
Leeds must have been on the verge of bankruptcy when an offer for Jenas was accepted, with his transfer to Newcastle set to take effect in February 2022.
Leeds were not relegated until more than two years later, in 2003/04, but it is fair to conclude that the 2002/03 season marked the start of a serious decline, and Hart certainly knew what was about to happen given his time at the club.
Some former Leeds players from that era, including Aaron Lennon, have lately spoken out about the club’s financial problems.
Rio Ferdinand has also spoken out about some of the absurd contracts offered by Leeds at the time, and perhaps the 49ers will be able to live within their means as they work to return the club to prominence.
