Dan James comments on Leeds United exit, says he has no regrets about leaving club

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Dan James has been quoted by Wales Online as saying that he has no regrets over leaving Leeds United to join Fulham on loan in the summer – with a move going through on deadline day. With the World Cup looming, James chose to go.

English-born James, 25, joined Leeds for a fee of £25million from Manchester United on deadline day in 2021. He has since clocked up 40 appearances in all competitions for the Whites, having a hand in nine goals – scoring four himself.

But with Leeds replacing Raphinha with Luis Sinisterra, and also bringing in Brenden Aaronson, he chose to go on loan. The £52k-a-week ace has played eight times for Fulham. He scored against Manchester United on Sunday evening.

He might not have made the instant impact he would have hoped for. But James has done enough to keep his place in Rob Page’s squad ahead of the World Cup. He has landed in Qatar. James commented on his decision to leave Leeds.

“I was there for a season (at Leeds) and really enjoyed it. I loved the place and my family loved it there. It was tough (to leave), it was deadline day and it was last minute. I was thinking about the World Cup,” James said, as per Wales Online.

“Maybe I was going to get more game-time. That was on my mind. I’ve never thought I’ve made the wrong decision. I still believe I made the right one. I spoke to the gaffer at Fulham and felt that was the best move in that moment.”

James has no regrets over leaving Leeds to join Fulham on loan

Two things from this interview. Firstly, is he suggesting that his time at Leeds is over? It seems he is talking about Leeds in the past tense, that his time at Elland Road is over. But it is much more complicated than that. It is only a dry loan.

Leeds bought him for £25million and while we are never going to get that figure back, we will hardly want to make a big loss. So, it will be about finding a buyer willing to pay £15million or more for James. Secondly, his game time.

Has he really got the game time he wanted at Fulham? Surely, he will have played eight time at Leeds from the time he joined Fulham – in which he has only started three. But, Crysencio Summerville might not have got his breakthrough.