Daniel James has joked that it was him who told Leeds United to sign both Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon in the summer.
James was speaking on the Official Leeds United Podcast, where he was asked about playing alongside both Ampadu and Rodon for club and country.
The 25-year-old made his return to Leeds in the summer after spending last season on loan at Fulham. He claimed that it was always his intention to remain at Elland Road despite relegation.
Following Leeds’ return to the Championship, several members of last season’s first team squad moved on in the summer and so a huge rebuild was required. In the end, nine new signings were made.
Ampadu and Rodon were both among them, with the former moving from Chelsea for £7 million, and the latter arriving on a season-long-loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur.
James says he told to Leeds to sign Ampadu and Rodon
Ampadu was actually the first signing of the San Francisco 49ers Enterprises era, while Rodon arrived in the week that followed Leeds’ Championship opener against Cardiff City.
Speaking on playing alongside them for both Leeds and Wales, James joked that he deserves ‘all the credit’ as it was him who the club to sign them.
He said: “We have always got along well, we are similar ages and came into the Welsh setup at a similar time. I was the one who told the club to sign them both so I get all the credit.”
Whether true or not, both players have turned out to be fantastic signings and have gone a long way to strengthening the spine.
At the price he was bought for, Ampadu is one of Leeds’ best value signings in several years, while Rodon’s arrival has helped strengthen the defence significantly.
It is clear to see that all three players enjoy playing alongside each other and their chemistry can only be beneficial to Leeds over the course of the season.
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