Steve Evans has tried to appease Leeds United fans who are upset at the sale of Sam Byram, by insisting the club will reinvest in the squad.
All too many times over the years the Leeds fans have taken a player to their hearts, only for him to then leave the club for one reason or another. And so it was again earlier this week, when Byram completed his expected move to West Ham United, in a transfer which has at least seen the Championship side swell their coffers by a sum of £3.75million.
It is perhaps understandable that supporters are not just disappointed with this sale – no matter how likely it always seemed to be when Premier League clubs began to show an interest – but also sceptical on how much will be made available for reinforcements. And on that score, Evans has made a move to reveal that he has been told he is free to spend this cash.
“To supporters, it may look like ‘Sam goes out and nothing comes in’, but the reality is far from it,” he told the official club website. “The Sam Byram money is available right now, but we have to bring in the right players. We’ve earmarked targets and, whether it be now or the summer, we will try and sign these players. We want to add players who can make a difference.”
According to Sky Sports, Leeds have agreed a fee with Brentford for midfielder Toumani Diagouraga. The 6ft 4in French midfielder was a product of the Paris St Germain academy before heading to England to join Watford’s equivalent, but he struggled to establish himself at Vicarage Road and had loan spells at Swindon Town, Rotherham United and Hereford United.
The Bulls signed him on a permanent basis in the summer of 2008 before moving onto Peterborough United 12 months later, for a fee believed to be in the region of £200,000. After falling down the pecking order he joined Brentford, initially on loan, in 2010. He had a temporary spell at Portsmouth in 2014, but has been an ever-present for the Bees in the current season.
