Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has addressed the issue of loan players returning to the club.
Leeds’ failure to win the play-off final against Southampton on Sunday means they will play in the Championship for the second year in a row.
Following relegation 12 months ago, Leeds lost eight first-team players on loan due to terms written into their contracts by the previous regime.
Only Luis Sinisterra and Robin Koch have been able to secure permanent moves thus far, leaving the other six players’ fates uncertain.
Jack Harrison, Marc Roca, Max Wober, Diego Llorente, Brenden Aaronson, and Rasmus Kristensen are all expected to return to Leeds, with no transfer agreement in place at this time.
Marathe addressed the loan clause dilemma at Leeds.
Though it is still less than 72 hours since the setback at Wembley, there have already been various reports on what will happen to the loanees.
According to reports, Leeds’ unsuccessful promotion effort will allow Roca to rejoin Betis on loan, while Harrison is reportedly considering a return to Everton.
This has raised questions about who else may be able to leave temporarily this summer, with Leeds needing to earn funds through player sales before June 30 to help pay off little under a third of the £190 million owing in unpaid transfer payments.
In an interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post, Marathe has sought to reassure fans that it will not be the same scenario as last summer, stating that there aren’t ‘as many of those scenarios’ this time around.
He stated, “We have to sit down as a leadership team with Daniel to find out which ones and how we will manage all of that. I’ll add that, fortunately, we don’t have as many of those scenarios as we did last year, and we’re not in a race against time as we were last year at this stage.
“I believe we were still 12 days away from completing the transaction to take over the club, let alone beginning the interview process for a manager, so we have a lot more time to think about it.
“It was difficult last year to deal with these issues, whether it was the loan clauses or the exits. It may not be as difficult now that I’ve had a year to deal with it.
“You know, there are some things we inherited that we will deal with in the greatest way possible, and the people who have those perpetual loan provisions – we’ll see how it goes.
“We’re not just sitting back as a passive club, hoping a player doesn’t reactivate or exercise his loan clause. We have some strength as well, and we are evaluating our squad’s chemistry.
“It’s not just about the talent on the field; it’s also about the squad’s chemistry and mentality. And we want players that are willing to fight with us from start to finish.
“So that’s very essential. I know it’s vital to Daniel and to me, and sometimes you have to sacrifice other things to ensure the squad has the appropriate mentality.”
Marathe hints that loanees will not be welcomed back at Leeds.
According to the reports thus far, Roca and Harrison appear to be the only two who can leave on loan again.
There has been no hint that Aaronson, Wober, Kristensen, or Llorente’s contracts contain the same clause that allows them to be sold.
Marathe’s words on the ‘chemistry of the squad’ imply that neither he nor Daniel Farke are willing to welcome them back because of the risk of rocking the boat.
Marathe further said that Leeds may have to’sacrifice’ on other things in order to deal with the loanees, which might eventually involve selling for a loss just to get them off the books.
Aaronson is one player on whom Leeds are likely to spend a significant £15 million, given how his career has progressed since his £25 million move to Elland Road.
