In an interview with Watson, Nadiem Amiri said he visited Thorp Arch and Elland Road before deciding he could not envision moving to Leeds United for family reasons.
The midfield player said in the interview, which was released by the German source, that he received a “brutal” offer and was expected to sign the same day even though no agreement had been finalized.
Reports at the time suggested there had been a back-and-forth with deals accepted and multiple u-turns, but he insisted his stance was made clear from the start.
Speaking to Watson [11 April], Amiri explained: “Leeds really wanted me. They made me a brutal offer and asked me to just take a look at everything on site. But I couldn’t really imagine it, especially for family reasons.
“When I was there, I was supposed to sign straight away that day, even though it wasn’t agreed upon. Not only do the two clubs have to agree, the player also has to want a transfer.
“A lot of what you read in the media afterwards wasn’t true. There was no back and forth with the acceptances and rejections, I was clear about that from the start.”
After visiting the site, the Leeds United transfer is called off.
Leeds and Daniel Farke would have been extremely disappointed when Amiri’s transfer fell through last summer, as they had hoped to add him to the Elland Road midfield options prior to the start of the season.
The squad Farke currently has at his disposal makes it hard to understand how Amiri would have fit in. Although Ethan Ampadu began the season in that position, the deeper midfield tandem of Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev has shown to be nearly indestructible.
Moving forward, Georginio Rutter, in the number ten position, has likely been Leeds’ player of the season. Joel Piroe, Matteo Joseph, and Patrick Bamford have also alternated through the position with their more offensive styles.
Although losing out on a player is never fun, Leeds won’t be sleeping well over this one, especially if they can be promoted back up to the Premier League, considering how their season has gone so far.
