One potential factor in Leeds’ struggles in the Premier League has arguably been the failure to ditch some of the deadwood that has remained at Elland Road following their promotion from the Championship.
The likes of Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas have been fantastic servants for the club in both the second tier and the top division but with all three now 31, it seems clear that they don’t feature in the club’s long-term plans.
However, the prime example of players following Leeds from the Championship to the Premier League, without ever really making an impact in the top flight, is Adam Forshaw.
How much has Adam Forshaw cost Leeds?
Forshaw would sign for Leeds in a £4.5m deal from Middlesbrough in January 2018 but has been plagued with injuries throughout his five years at Elland Road.
In total, the midfielder has made just 84 appearances for the Yorkshire outfit, contributing no goals and three assists in that time, which suggests that he hasn’t lived up to expectations following his previously impressive spells with Middlesbrough and Brentford.
As per FBref, the Englishman earns £20k-per-week at Elland Road, so isn’t one of the top earners at the club, but it means Leeds have paid him £5,360,000 across his 268 weeks at the club.
Given he has failed to ever really be a regular starter other than in the 2018/19 Championship campaign, this represents dreadful value for money for Leeds and Andrea Radrizzani, as they have shelled out nearly £10m on an injury-prone player who simply isn’t good enough for the Premier League.
Although Forshaw would have something of a resurgence last season, featuring 22 times in the top flight as the Whites narrowly avoided relegation, it was a baffling decision to hand him a new one-year contract, as he has mustered just 157 minutes of Premier League action so far this term.
Ian Wright wasn’t complimentary of the midfielder’s failure to find Patrick Bamford with a pass last season, in a moment that rather summed up his entire campaign, despite Leeds securing a vital 2-1 win against Norwich City in their fight for survival.
The pundit said on Match of the Day 2 (13/03/2022): “He sees him, put it in there because he’s doing a lot of work for the team, so he can have a run at it. This is the annoying bit, he says sorry to him. Sorry isn’t going to help him!”
With Forshaw’s contract set to expire this summer, Javi Gracia must not repeat the Whites’ mistake from last January and ensure that the 31-year-old finally departs Leeds after an underwhelming five years at the club.
