'Mickey Mouse stuff' - Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder takes aim at Leeds United 'low-ball' approach to Jayden Bogle deal

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
Leeds United signed Jayden Bogle from Sheffield United for £5million earlier this summer.

Chris Wilder insists his Sheffield United side don’t partake in ‘Mickey Mouse stuff’ when it comes to transfer business, pointing to Leeds United’s ‘low-ball’ pursuit of Jayden Bogle as a tactic which affected the player’s mindset.

Leeds plucked Bogle from their Championship promotion rivals just over a month ago, having agreed a £5million fee with Sheffield United. Elland road chiefs are thought to have seen two bids, both worth in the region of £4m, knocked back but eventually got their man for what they believe is a good price.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With Bogle entering the final 12 months of his Blades contract and unwilling to sign a new one, the South Yorkshire side were left with a predicament, either cashing in for a reduced price now or possibly losing the 23-year-old for free in a year’s time. Sheffield United stressed that they’d received a ‘significant’ undisclosed fee for their player but Wilder was seemingly not happy with the way Leeds approached negotiations.

“There’s genuine stuff and then the Mickey Mouse stuff that happens,” Wilder told The Star. “We don’t play those games. We’re straight. If we make a bid for somebody, we go through the front door and deal with it that way. The job is hard enough to play mind games, but for some characters, it does get into them.

“I think you can look at Jayden as a prime example. As soon as the interest was there, they low-balled us straight away and he was gone. I have to deal with it, and his team-mates have to deal with it as well. You don’t really talk about that, you talk about someone who doesn’t want to be here. Then you have to go through the dance to get the best price.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But certainly, I’d say with the situation that if that club had not upped their offer, I’ve got an unhappy player that I am going to have to deal with. Hopefully, fingers crossed when the window shuts, they get on with being a professional footballer. For me, they should be a professional footballer right the way through and if it happens, it happens and be as good in their profession as they can be.”

Leeds have submitted what would be considered low-end offers for a number of their summer targets but would argue this is a normal aspect of negotiations, with the buying club obviously keen to get their man for the lowest possible price. Bogle is currently the only option for whom they returned, with a £3.3m bid for Dejan Ljubicic not yet built upon and an initial £7m valuation of Jonathan Rowe not progressing.

Key to the aforementioned names, including Bogle, is the target being in the final year of their respective contracts. It is commonplace for players in such a situation to leave for lower than their usual market value, given the risk of selling clubs keeping said player before losing them for free in the near future.

Leeds news you can trust since 1890
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice