Mercato: Leeds fears mass exodus of stars for a pittance
Struggling for survival in the Premier League, Leeds could lose their best players for a pittance at the end of the season if they are relegated. The reason? Discounted release clauses added to contracts.
Seasons follow each other but are not the same for Leeds. Last year, the English club was promoted under Marcelo Bielsa, but this time they are in trouble. The principles of the Argentine coach are not as well executed on the field, the players are running out of steam and the surprise effect is falling. The former OM guide was finally dismissed at the end of February. The Peacocks were in a worrying 16th place.
Since then, Jesse Marsch has taken over the team but things are not much better. Leeds is even 17th with 4 games to go, only two points ahead of Everton, who even have a game in hand. The fear of emptiness is real and is justified even more by this information from England. In case of relegation, there would certainly be many players on the way out, as in every descent, but on top of that, they would leave for a ridiculous price.
Release clauses in case of relegation
This is what the Daily Mail revealed this Friday. When signing contracts with his players, the owner, Andrea Radrizzani, has included for most of them release clauses in case of relegation to the Championship. This is a common practice in the soccer world, but it is less common in England, where the resources of the first and second division clubs are much greater than their European competitors. For example, Everton, Watford and Norwich, the three relegated clubs, do not have any.
Thus, Raphinha, in the sights of Barça and now of West Ham, has two release clauses in his contract, one at 75 M€ in case of a win, and the other at 25 M€… in case of a fall. The problem is the same for Kalvin Phillips. Courted by the biggest English clubs like Manchester United and Tottenham, the midfielder could leave for less than 30 M€ if the sporting situation requires it. The same goes for Patrick Bamford, whose value has dropped a bit due to his numerous injuries this season.
