A round-up of the latest Leeds United headlines this evening on Thursday, April 13.
Simon Jordan says Leeds United have been 'stitched up'
Simon Jordan believes Leeds United have been 'stitched up' after being told by FIFA they need to pay Jean-Kevin Augustin £24.5million for breach of contract.
“Sometimes in football you get stitched up, as Leeds are discovering now having been ordered to pay former striker Jean-Kevin Augustin £24.5million for breach of contract,” Jordan wrote for his column in the Daily Mail (Page 75, 13 April).
“It reminds me a little of a situation I had at Crystal Palace six weeks after I walked in the door regarding the Australian midfielder Craig Foster: He was on a three-year contract worth £500,000 a season but had to get his work permit renewed every year.
“At the end of his first season, his work permit was rejected and I was ordered by the Football League to pay up his contract. The law of the land dictated that he couldn’t play and yet I was being told to pay the player £1m.
“It was only when I said I would take them kicking and screaming to every court in the land if they made me pay that they backed down. Even then I was told I had to pay his £100,000 signing-on fee. I was ready to go to war again before my lawyer told me to quit while I was ahead. I’d won the battle. Painfully for Leeds, they have lost theirs.”
Premier League clubs agree to ban on front of shirt gambling sponsors
Premier League clubs have collectively agreed to ban gambling sponsors from the front of matchday shirts. Leeds United are one of eight current Premier League clubs with gambling companies as shirt-front sponsors, but that's set to chance at the end of the 2025/26 season.
The Whites, along with other Premier League clubs, will be allowed to search for new gambling sponsorship for the front of shirts until the ban commences starting in the 2026/27 campaign. Current sponsorship deals with gambling companies will be allowed to remain in place for the next three years, with an overall estimated value of £60m per annum to the eight clubs in the top flight.
Gambling sponsorships will be allowed to feature on shirt sleeves and on advertising hoardings, with the Premier League cracking down on just front of shirt sponsors. The Whites have been sponsored by betting firm SBOTOP since the start of the 2020/21 season, which represented the largest commercial deal in the club's history.
Jean-Kevin Augustin Leeds United case could make him 'most expensive footballer in history'
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes Jean-Kevin Augustin could be the most expensive player in the history of football, if Leeds United are forced to pay the full £24.5million by FIFA. The striker, who now plays for Basel in Switzerland, signed a five-year contract as part of the Whites' obligation to buy him from RB Leipzig back in January 2020.
The Whites have already agreed a settlement with RB Leipzig, having disputed that obligation to buy, with the football season curtailed after the Covd-19 pandemic. Augustin's loan deal was set to run until June of 2020, but he played just 49 minutes for Marcelo Bielsa's side.
Leeds would win promotion later that year when football resumed, but Augustin did not play. The Whites lost their case with CAS and FIFA have now ordered them to pay Augustin's contract in full, but reports claim the club are set to appeal, with the striker obligated to enter a mitigation period.
Liverpool given major Luis Diaz injury 'boost' for Leeds United clash
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed his side will have Luis Diaz available for their Premier League clash with Leeds United.
Javi Gracia will be hoping his side can shake off the disappointment from the second-half implosion against Crystal Palace and muster a much-improved performance against Liverpool. Having dominated the match before the break, the Eagles scored four without reply after the restart as the Whites lost 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.
Klopp's side meanwhile battled back from two goals down against league leaders Arsenal to claim a point against Mikel Arteta's squad at Anfield. Goals from Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino ensured that the Reds had something to show from the game.
Ex-USA star explains why Jesse Marsch rejected Southampton and Leicester City
Former United States international Jimmy Conrad has explained why Jesse Marsch turned down job offers from Southampton and Leicester City.
Marsch has been out of work since he was sacked by Leeds in February, but was quickly lined up as a potential replacement for Nathan Jones at St Mary's.
The American opted against taking over at Southampton, and did the same when Leicester City came calling last week.
Marcelo Bielsa's potential Uruguay appointment slammed by ex-Chile manager
Former Chile manager Martin Lasarte has slammed the prospect of Marcelo Bielsa becoming the next manager of the Uruguay national team.
Oscar Tabarez had previously occupied the managerial hotseat for 15 years until Diego Alonso replaced him in December 2021.
Alonso reigned from his post after Uruguay suffered group stage elimination at the 2022 World Cup. Ex-Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has reportedly agreed to become his successor, although no official announcement has been made.
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