Leeds United supporters should be talking about Jesse Marsch, Victor Orta disaster for years to come — Football League World 19/8/24

Declan Harte

Leeds United fans rightfully frustrated with past regime's mismanagement, but finances should be healthier now for future signings.

Departures of key players like Summerville and Rutter were necessary evils due to previous ownership's errors, one of which was the loan clause in Rasmus Kristensen's deal.

Kristensen flopped at Elland Road, despite his links to Jesse Marsch, and has had two loans away since.

Leeds United supporters have become increasingly frustrated with the club’s summer transfer business over the last couple of years.

Losing key players like Crysencio Summerville, Glen Kamara and Georginio Rutter has undoubtedly made the squad weaker. An academy star like Archie Gray departing is another huge blow, as he had really shone in Daniel Farke’s side in his debut campaign last year.

But these departures can all be pinned on the previous regime at Elland Road, and the mismanagement of the team that they oversaw.

Summerville and Rutter’s exits both came about due to exit clauses (per the club's website, and Sky Sports) in their deals, which were negotiated under the previous ownership of Andrea Radrizzani and director of football Victor Orta.

The sale of Gray was also necessary due to their financial situation, according to The Yorkshire Post, which had become precarious due to overspending prior to 49ers Enterprises taking control of the club last summer.

One signing in particular from Orta’s time in charge that has angered supporters is Rasmus Kristensen.

The Dane joined Leeds during Jesse Marsch’s reign as manager, having previously worked with the American coach at Red Bull Salzburg.

The right-back arrived in 2022, and played 26 times in the Premier League as the team suffered relegation to the Championship (all stats from His arrival at the time made sense, given his links to Marsch and the Red Bull model, but his move did not work out.

That relegation led to Kristensen going out on loan last summer, making the switch to AS Roma, where he made 29 appearances in Serie A.

But Leeds were unable to offload him on a permanent basis this year following his return from Italy, instead sanctioning another loan deal, as part of a loan clause available in his contract, as reported by Leeds Live, just as it had been 12 months prior.

It is clear he has no interest in playing in the Championship, and his future is obviously away from Elland Road.

But Leeds were unable to negotiate a loan fee from the deal with Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Kicker, and only secured an option to buy clause that may not be triggered in 12 months' time.

While it hasn't been directly reported that Kristensen's estimated wages of £40,000 per week (via Capology) will be paid by the Bundesliga side, it could be the case given he and Jack Harrison were two remaining loan clauses this summer, and it's thought Everton are paying his wage in full. Despite that, it could still prove a financial issue come the end of the campaign.

His permanent sale earlier in the summer, or even last year, may have helped avoid some of the major player sales we’ve seen this year (Gray).

Even the announcement of his departure on Twitter earlier this summer was met with minimal fuss, with the club simply stating: "Rasmus Kristensen has decided to join Eintract Frankfurt on loan for the 2024/25 campaign" in a curt 14-word message.

Leeds will know the reality of transition under new owners

Leeds fans will know all too well the transition that takes place when the club’s ownership changes hands.

The impact of decisions made by people no longer working at Elland Road is still being felt, and could be for another while yet.

This will continue to be frustrating for supporters, who will no doubt be discussing this issue for years to come, especially as their push for promotion to the Premier League could now be under threat if the team isn’t improved before the market shuts.

The silver lining to these massive sales is that their financial position should be much healthier now, so money can be spent on signings in the final weeks of the window.

The search is ongoing for Summerville’s replacement, but finding someone to take on Georginio Rutter’s role will also be quite difficult. The pair were crucial to the team’s best performances last season, and their sales are the cost of failing to go up at the first attempt.

Kristensen is the face of the old regime, and it won’t be until contracts like his are gone from their books that this will truly feel like 49ers Enterprises’ club.