Leeds United have already seen multiple players leave the club as free agents this summer.
Illan Meslier left the club to join Arsenal after we did not offer him a new deal.
We did, however, try to keep hold of Karl Darlow, but the Welshman ultimately ended up moving to Manchester United.
Now another player we tried to keep hold of has moved elsewhere as a free agent. This comes after weeks of uncertainty regarding his future.
Sam Byram completes move away from Leeds United
Following the end of last season, Leeds confirmed they were in negotiations with Sam Byram over a new deal in June. This is despite the defender only making two Premier League appearances in the previous campaign.
After that, there were virtually no updates regarding the 32-year-old. Naturally, most assumed that Byram was set for a move away.
Now, Chief Sports Writer for The Northern Echo, Scott Wilson, has reported that Middlesbrough are set to sign Byram as a free agent to provide additional defensive cover.
The report states that Byram is currently on Teesside as he finalises a move, with the move now confirmed by Middlesbrough themselves on social media.
It was clear that if Byram did stay at Leeds, he was never going to play. For the twilight of his career, to go and play more regularly in the Championship is something we cannot begrudge.
Sam Byram was another shrewd signing from the 49ers
Many eyebrows were raised when we signed Byram back in 2023, seven years after he initially left Leeds to join West Ham.
When he re-signed for Leeds, he had just been released by Norwich. After continuing to have battles with injury, many were doubtful as to whether Byram could contribute to our promotion push.
He certainly wasn’t in the team every week. But Byram provided valuable cover on both sides of the defence for Daniel Farke. For the vast majority of these games, he was incredibly solid.
During our promotion-winning campaign in 2024/25, Byram made 36 Championship appearances, the year before he made 33.
So after arriving with many still sceptical of whether he could still perform at a decent level, he proved many, including myself, wrong.
Byram on a free is certainly not the 49ers’ most eye-catching signing, but it was another shrewd piece of business that proved to be a major success.
Every Leeds fan will surely wish him all the best at Boro, where he will link up with another beloved former Leeds full-back in Luke Ayling.
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