Leeds United’s sale of Chris Wood a symbol of Radrizzani’s Revolution
It may not be a scenario that has the Elland Road faithful in unanimous agreement, but the sale of Chris Wood is the biggest indicator of real change at Leeds United.
For most, the sale of the Championship’s top scorer last season is a somewhat bitter pill to swallow. The 27-goal haul from the Kiwi undoubtedly played a major part in propelling Leeds United to a finish agonisingly short of a place in the play-offs.
However, as we draw close to the end of what has been an incredibly busy summer in West Yorkshire, a huge overhaul at the club both on and off the pitch may mean that the loss of the £15m man might not be quite the disaster it looks on paper…
Money always talks
In this day and age of modern football, scoring 27 league goals in arguably one of the continents toughest leagues simply doesn’t go unnoticed. Wood’s tally in fact eclipsed those of Sergio Aguero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Diego Costa and Alexis Sanchez, to name but a few.
The blood was in the water… and the sharks were circling.
High interest in Wood at the start of the summer window was inevitable. But the market in general was on tenterhooks it seemed, with clubs all waiting for each other to make a move before the barrage of deals that would invariably follow could be made.
With a somewhat ‘stagnant’ market as the season neared, it looked likely that Leeds would weather the storm, fending off bids for their prized asset. Sure, the rumours were flying, but the lack of anything concrete had Leeds fans starting to exhale the long-held-in breath.
Meanwhile, the board were making a habit of securing current playing staff up to new deals. The likes of Kalvin Phillips, Eunan O’Kane and Liam Cooper all put pen to paper.
Cue the secretly wishful: ‘Just a big four-year deal for Woody now!’
A flurry of activity however sparked renewed interest in Wood, and Burnley’s sale of Andre Gray to Watford saw the Lancashire club quickly move to the front of the queue for the signature of the New Zealand international.
A failed bid from the Clarets was made public, but a couple of extra million quid and a day or two later, Wood was on his way to Turf Moor for a £15m-plus deal.
Overhaul takes out the sting
In seasons gone by, you could be forgiven for having a good old whinge on social media. ‘Same old Leeds… selling club,’ and all the other phrases we’ve used over the years.
With Massimo Cellino at the helm, sales of Lewis Cook, Sam Byram and Alex Mowatt only drew anger and frustration. You can’t help but think that were Cellino still in charge, selling Wood would feel a lot different than it does now.
But the introduction of a fresh, trustworthy and likable owner makes the sale of our top scorer slightly less painful than it perhaps would have been.
Andrea Radrizzani’s early tenure at Elland Road has been nothing short of remarkably positive. A newly implemented recruitment model has seen the club uncover and sign some ‘hidden gems’ on the continent.
The excitement around the club this season can be attributed to touches of class from ownership that Leeds fans have been deprived of for too many years to count. These are just the latest examples…
In the first, Radrizzani’s handling of the transfer of Wood left nothing to the imagination with a clear and concise message of assurance that the funds raised will be reinvested back into the team has fans praising — rather than berating — the new regime. In the second, the fans are taken care of in a way not often seen across professional sport.
Wood last piece of Garry Monk era
And yet the biggest news of the summer at Elland Road came in the form of the change of manager.
Garry Monk’s reluctance to sign an extension saw the ex-Swansea manager depart for Middlesbrough, and paved the way for somewhat-unknown Thomas Christiansen to take over.
The additions of playing staff and the re-emergence of the likes of Cooper and O’Kane have given Leeds the opportunity to really form a new identity and philosophy under the Danish-born manager.
Wood was the last part of the jigsaw that was preventing a completely new-look Leeds.
With Wood now gone, it is obvious that this season will be much, much different from the last. The absence of his goal tally of last campaign may, on the face of it, appear difficult to replace, but it now allows Christiansen complete control over how he wants his team to play.
Last year was all about Wood: Get the ball to Wood. Hope Wood scores. Leeds lacked a real apparent game plan, a real identity outside of hoping Wood could put the ball in the net.
From today onwards though, this truly is a renewed, refreshed and revitalised club.
The profits gained from Wood’s sale mean that the new executives and decision-makers can bring in another name that fits their mould — not the one they inherited.
All signs pointing upwards
The whole situation is a rather odd one. It can’t really be said that fans are happy that Wood has left, but you get the feeling that there isn’t a whole load of sadness either.
It was always going to be a difficult task for Wood to recreate his 30-goal campaign this time around. Despite having arguably more service and creativity around him, he still had to find the net and take his chances.
Misses in both the Preston and Fulham games at Elland Road in one-on-one situations couldn’t help but remind of a slight lack of belief, confidence and desire in his game. A hungry, determined Wood in February would have surely dispatched both with relative ease.
Regardless, he takes with him the last remnants of a regime that Leeds needed to break free from in order to move onwards and upwards.
We now have exciting new players, a passionate manager who seems to get what it is to ‘be Leeds’, and an owner that has the fans interest at heart rather than his own pockets is great way to go about it.
And the best part about all of this? For once, we have some money in the pot.
