TEAMtalk's Sam Nightingale believes Leeds United are showing no ambition after the club "reluctantly" accepted Norwich's bid for Jonny Howson.
"It's a dream come true just playing for the club, never mind captaining them," Leeds skipper Jonny Howson told TEAMtalk back in November.
And on the subject of contract talks, he added: "I'm sure they'll be finalised and I'll sign soon."
Just over two months on, the dream appears over, with Howson poised to sign for Norwich instead.
Howson has come through the youth ranks at Elland Road and established himself as a first-team regular before being made captain by boss Simon Grayson. He is the longest-serving player at a club that remains one of England's best supported, despite their eight-season spell away from the elite.
Why did Leeds chairman Ken Bates allow a situation to develop where Howson only had six months left on his current contract?
The Whites have been in discusions with Howson over a new deal "for more than 12 months" but Leeds should have tied up a new contract with the player by last summer at the latest.
Letting a young, highly-rated player such as Howson run down his contract shows a total lack of ambition on the part of Leeds - and it is also false economy.
If Howson had penned a new deal last summer, his value would be much higher than it currently is with only six months left on his existing deal.
If Norwich complete the transfer, they will probably get Howson for a comparative snip. Howson wants to play Premier League football, but I'd hazard a guess that he wants to do that with Leeds and would have already penned a new contract if the club had showed more ambition, especially in the transfer market.
Any fans who have been giving Grayson stick for the Whites' current 11th-place position in the Championship table should really consider the constraints he is having to work under.
Grayson is doing the job with very little money and having to trawl the bargain basement for free transfers, loan deals and budget signings, while constantly losing his best players, such as Bradley Johnson, Neil Kilkenny, Max Gradel and Kasper Schmeichel last summer.
Yes, some of Grayson's transfers, such as Billy Paynter and Fede Bessone, haven't come off - but a lot have proved successful, such as Adam Clayton and Andy Lonergan.
And Grayson has also brought through some of the club's young players, such as Tom Lees and Aidy White.
In reality, Leeds overachieved last season with a seventh-place finish and unless Grayson is given significant funds this month, I can't see the club finishing in a play-off spot this season, let alone automatic promotion.
And despite being in England's second tier, Leeds fans still have to stump up Premier League ticket prices.
But hey, there's a new hotel to look forward to outside Elland Road... shame that Howson is choosing to check out now.
.
Howson teamtalk article
posted on 18/1/12
More or less sums the situation up
posted on 18/1/12
Excellent article! It is clear that Grayson is working under extreme pressure with very little support.
The way this football club is being run is a joke!
posted on 18/1/12
What have I been saying for years about KWB, but we are on a stable financial position aye, playing in DIV 4
posted on 18/1/12
Also rumoured that Delph netted us around £8m in total and where as that gone, Gradel £2m, Kasper £1m, Howson £2m.
Bates has got a gold mine and the only thing to do is stay away from home games but go to the away games and hit him in the pocket as he will not spend anything on the team anyhow.
posted on 18/1/12
Robby don't forget the £1m from the Milner sell-on, the £1m from Chelsea for the 2-kids, the £750k from Everton for the young kid Garbutt and £1.5m from Man City for the other 2 kids. Young kebbie now signed for a la ligua club in Spain, and don't forget all the cash from the cup runs against prem sides over the last 2-seasons. The failure to carry out the promise of buying back TA at a snip ....... Money is pumped in and trickes into offshore accounts. No investment or ambition, we're now a laughing stock but we'll downsize the academy and charge parents for coaching, and then we'll let the good kids go and get compensation.
Our future is being blighted by this parasite. No academy production line means the only way to do well is buy good players which we don't do. Why waste £7m on the east stand which is never going to get filled unles we go up.
posted on 18/1/12
Day 18 of the transfer window and we have no one in (Roy Rogers has not got a work permit yet) and our captain has gone.
Wouldnt be surprised if he was forced out as per Kasper, rumours on other boards that it has been in the offing all season that someone would be gone to pay for ground developments as per Kasper and maxs fees cos they aint gone on the team.