The proposed deal to sell Archie Gray to Brentford has collapsed at the eleventh hour, but with Leeds needing to make sales to comply with FFP, it’s likely that we will sell him to one of the other clubs who are on his case. Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa have all been mentioned.
Gray went down to the smoke for a medical last night, when it looked like a £40m deal was about to go through, but the two clubs couldn’t agree on the payment schedule. And today Leeds formally rejected Brentford’s offer. It’s been suggested that Leeds wanted the move to go through before the June 30th deadline so the sale could be included in the 2023/4 accounts.
If that is the case then it’s very concerning when we didn’t get the cash, as it suggests that we had a financial hole that ultimately we weren’t able to fill. So have we made an excessive loss for 2023/4 and with it the possibility of a points deduction? Earlier in the year Paraag Marathe told the Yorkshire Post that it was likely some players would have to leave in order to comply with the regulations.
"There are certain things that we need to do and we will make sure we are fully compliant with P&S, as we always have been. And there are certain trade-offs that we have to make and so we'll have to get to the drawing board and figure out which moves we have to make sure that we are compliant. It's too early to say. Obviously Archie is a tremendous player, but every season brings change and so I can't yet comment on it, but we'll see what happens."
Gray has never asked to leave the club, but reportedly was told that the club would need to sell him. While he’s in London he might as well stay on, to talk to Chelsea or Spurs, who are two of the clubs said to be interested. Despite the Brentford transfer falling through, it sadly seems inevitable that he will be going to some Premier League club before the new season begins.
One transfer that did go through to help to balance the books is that of Marc Roca, has joined Spanish La Liga outfit Real Betis, for a fee described as "undisclosed” on the club’s official website. He spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, and was one of our few loan players to impress, so it’s no surprise that the Seville club have opted to convert his loan to a permanent transfer.
One of the few games when Roca looked impressive during his season at Leeds was against a lethargic Forest, so it’s clear that the slower pace of Spanish football suits his game far better. Leeds have also kept Jack Harrison’s wages off the books for another year as he renewed his loan at Everton, but the fate of several other loan players remains to be resolved.