Leeds United hope to get their incoming business going this week when they are expected to announce Harry Wilson’s arrival on a free transfer.
The Whites have an agreement in place to sign Wilson, who will sign a four-year contract once all the formalities of the deal are completed in the coming days.
However, Leeds have also completed one major outgoing this summer, with Pascal Struijk joining Brighton in a deal worth an initial £15m, with a further £3m in potential add-ons.
Many Leeds supporters feel the Whites could have secured a higher fee despite Struijk’s contract situation, with the club ultimately appearing to accept a cut-price deal to cash in.
Leeds United ‘disappointed’ by the Pascal Struijk price
The Whites had to sell before the end of the month once it became clear that Pascal Struijk was not going to sign a new deal, which weakened their bargaining position.
Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness feels the defender pushed out of Leeds, which further weakened Leeds’ ability to demand more money.
He feels Brighton came out of the negotiations with a far better deal as they managed to sign an experienced Premier League defender without blowing up their budget, while Leeds would be disappointed by the price.
Wyness said on Football Insider: “I think this is one that the player has pushed through the deal, although it’s a decent price for a player with that time left on his contract,” Wyness said.
“They’d have preferred to have had a renewed contract and tried to sell them at a higher price, obviously. Leeds would be disappointed, and it’s a shame, but I’m afraid it’s the days of player power.
“Brighton have come out of this very well. They’ve again planned, sold well themselves and are acquiring again.
“Brighton are coming through and filling those gaps that they’ve been able to sell at high prices. This is more about the success of Paul Barber and Tony Bloom down at Brighton than it is about Leeds making any real sale here.”
Leeds could have negotiated for more money
Struijk’s contract situation made it harder for Leeds to negotiate a bigger fee, but it was definitely not impossible to get more money.
Southampton’s unwillingness to drop their £30m asking price for Shea Charles is a clear example of a club holding firm despite the contract situation.
It seems Leeds were in a hurry to get a deal through to safeguard their PSR position while earning enough time to sign a proper replacement.
However, it is almost certain that if the roles were reversed and Brighton were at the other end of the negotiating table, they would have extracted more money out of the sale of a left-footed centre-back with Premier League experience.
