Defeat to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley has had huge ramifications that will last the entire summer and beyond, with Leeds United forced to sell Archie Gray to Tottenham.
Failure to get promoted back to the Premier League has meant Leeds needed to sell Gray, or a big player. The books required balancing and Gray’s £40m move sees Leeds rake in some much-needed cash.
Had Leeds beaten Southampton at the end of May, the Whites would have raked in Premier League cash in the form of TV money and the sale of Gray or another Leeds player would not have been needed.
That, and the cash won from winning a game deemed the most-expensive match in club football. It has also seen Leeds miss out on a number of transfer targets given the club will not be in the Premier League.
One of those has just won the league under Brendan Rodgers and now, he wants to join Southampton:
Linked with Leeds, playmaker wants £30m Southampton move
Leeds were targeting a move for the “wonderful” Matt O’Riley if the club got promoted. It comes after Leeds made a £10m bid for him towards the end of the 2023 summer window, which Celtic rejected.
The Denmark star enjoyed a spectacular 2023-24 season in which he had a hand in 37 goals in 48 games, helping Rodgers win the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup as Celtic continue their dominance.
But he looks set for a big-money summer move and Give Me Sport say O’Riley is now keen on a move to Southampton, and to reunite with his old MK Dons boss Russell Martin with Celtic requesting £30m.
Leeds come close to signing £30m O’Riley on two occasions
Last summer, had Leeds just returned with a slightly improved offer it might have tempted Celtic. They bought him for £1.5m and would have made a huge profit if Leeds tabled say, something close to £15m.
But Leeds didn’t, and his value has sky rocketed since. Had Leeds beaten Southampton, The Whites may have gone back in for him and it suggests that the result of one game has seen Leeds miss out on O’Riley.
There is no doubt that O’Riley will go on to have a superb career likely to be in the Premier League. The connection between O’Riley and Martin, and Celtic and Southampton, suggests a deal could be done.
