Exits from Leeds United will be just as key a factor in next season’s success as incomings across this summer transfer window. As Nick Hammond quietly gets his feet under the table at Elland Road he will be presented with a vast list of players with their futures up in the air.
While there are wants and needs he must pursue in pulling together a promotion-capable squad for whoever the next head coach will be, he also needs to clear the decks. There are a lot of players who are either earning too much money, generating sizeable transfer bids or simply lacking in the fight needed for second-tier football.
They must be axed in the way which benefits Leeds most. Diego Llorente is one such senior face on the wage bill likely to be deemed expendable this summer.
