So you are saying it was offered a new deal a lot earlier and not in the latter stages of this one, if it was the previous then if he as an agent it will be that person told him to go shopping.

why wouldn't he leave for saints?
6 years of rebuilding and leeds are still a shambles of club, shuffling along year after year of mediocrity.
Good luck to him

Indeed Tad

What we don't know is the quality of the offer - he may well have gone back and said 5 years on £20k no thank you and ball is firmly back in the clubs hands who have stuck with their original offer?

Leeds seem to want to waste huge money on very average overseas seeing not paying the young English lads decent money as the sacrifice in the calculations. Strange club in that respect.

is hetherington past his sell by date? did he just get lucky with the golden decade team? his role has to be questioned given the last 6 years

When Leeds had no money it was no surprise the academy flourished in those days. Recruitment was far more focused and Leeds was a club players wanted to play for e.g. Senior, Ellis and the quality of overseas was off the scale.

These days it appears recruitment is not a priority - the club don't seem on it at all these days. Clubs seem so much further on in identifying and securing the players they want. Leeds seem last in line - when they are early they get it wrong e.g. Olpharts.

The academy seems to struggle to develop young players in key positions - that I cannot understand.

I agree. recruitment is way behind the majority of other SL clubs, and has been for years

Is Hetherington solely in charge of recruitment? Serious question.
If so and with all due respect to the man he is probably not up to speed with how the game has changed and he might just be wanting players on the cheap.

Smith is heavily involved too. It's not all with GH

I don't know who deals with recruitment but Craig Harrison reported on the full 80 a couple of months ago that Smith has very little to do with it at present.