A player who suffered relegation from the Premier League with Leeds United after a short and unhappy spell with the club could be available on a free at the end of the season.
Daniel Farke is still feeling the effects of the club’s poor recruitment during their last spell in the Premier League. Leeds struggled to offload the likes of Illan Meslier, Max Wober and Jack Harrison in the current transfer window.
Leeds fans were left underwhelmed by their failure to boost Farke’s options in attack, piling the pressure on the likes of Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to find the goals Leeds need to stay in the top flight.
Elia Caprile’s potential transfer to AC Milan, after Jesse Marsch offloaded him for a tiny fee, offered a recent reminder of Leeds’ recent struggles in the transfer market.
Now, another one of the players signed at the tail end of the Marsch era could be about to hit the market, in another echo of Leeds’ former transfer struggles.
Weston McKennie in action during West Ham United v Leeds United - Premier League
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Former Leeds United loanee could be released on a free transfer
Weston McKennie endured a torrid spell with Leeds after completing a loan move to the club for the second half of the 2022/23 season, which saw them relegated to the Championship.
The USA international played just 33 minutes under Jesse Marsch before the former Leeds boss left his role, and he was criticised heavily by the Leeds fanbase for appearing in poor physical condition and generally disinterested in the club’s relegation battle.
McKennie made 19 appearances for the Whites during his ill-fated loan spell before returning to parent club Juventus, where he has enjoyed more success in recent years.
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However, according to a report in Ilbianconero.com, McKennie’s time in Turin could be set to end with his contract set to expire at the end of the season. The report states: “[McKennie’s] contract expires in 2026, thanks to that renewal that never came. What are the prospects for his future?
“Talks regarding a renewal have not yet begun. Juventus will soon evaluate the situation, including his financial demands regarding a possible renewal.”
Leeds United v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League
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Weston McKennie endured a difficult spell at Elland Road
It is safe to say that McKennie and the Elland Road faithful have not been on good terms following the American’s short spell in West Yorkshire, during which he struggled for form in a rapidly imploding Leeds side.
Speaking to ESPN in 2024 following his Leeds exit, McKennie admitted that his time in Leeds had been difficult and that criticism from the fans had hurt him at times.
“It was probably the first time besides the World Cup exit [in 2022] where I cried, after the last game of the season at Leeds, when we officially got relegated. I hate to lose, and I felt like I really let down the expectations that people had of me going there.
“When people started attacking me as a person in general, not even with football – everyone knows that I’m more thick-boned than some other players, in that my body shape is the way that it is.
“But when people started out saying, ‘You fat b——‘ and ‘you pig’ and ‘you m—–‘ and stuff like that, people don’t really realise the effect that it has on people. I like to be happy and to make people happy, to make people laugh. So that was a little bit hard.”
With his contract at Juventus potentially coming to an end, McKennie will be hoping for a better experience with his next move.