England international says Leeds United once bid £5m to sign him, but Paul Hart told him no

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The reasons for Leeds United’s demise in the early 2000s are well documented, as the club crashed out of the Premier League in financial turmoil.

This season marks 25 years since David O’Leary’s Leeds side charged to the Champions League semi-finals in a run which included some of the most memorable nights Elland Road has seen, including the rain-soaked win over AC Milan.

However, reckless overspending saw Leeds slump to relegation from the top-flight in the 2003/04 season and fall down to League One in 2006/07.

Leeds’ deal to sign Seth Johnson is often held up as the symbol of their financial mismanagement, as Peter Ridsdale readily paid over the odds for the midfielder.

Now, another target from the early-00s, Jermaine Jenas, has explained how Paul Hart convinced him not to move to Elland Road when the Whites made an offer for him.

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Jermaine Jenas rejected Leeds United move

Speaking on the Beast Mode On podcast, Jenas revealed the role of former Leeds academy coach Paul Hart in convincing him not to move to West Yorkshire.

According to Jenas, he was keen to join Leeds ahead of Manchester United. However, Hart intervened, having seen the turmoil at Elland Road first-hand.

Jenas said: “Paul Hart, who was my manager at Forest at the time and he just said, ‘Look, um, I need you to come in.’ So I came in and he basically just said to me, “Look, three clubs have put in a bid.”

“Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson have bid £3 million, and because he said it’s an honour to play for the football club, he’s not paying a penny more. David O’Leary at Leeds at the time when Rio was there, Robbie Keane, you know, they were a Champions League team.

“He’s going to bid 5 million. He wants you. He says, ‘But you’re not going there.’ And Newcastle have bid 5 million, and basically the car’s going to be here in an hour.

“In Paul’s defence, he’d just left Leeds and he knew what was happening there. Okay. So he was like, ‘You’re not going there.'”

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Attempted Jenas transfer is symbolic of Leeds United’s issues

Jenas was one of the most highly rated young players in England when Leeds attempted to sign him. However, Leeds’ interest was symbolic of their lack of restraint in the transfer market.

Leeds had recently spent £20 million to sign Robbie Fowler and Johnson, and a report in the Guardian from the time hinted that there was plenty more spending to come, stating: “The Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale said last night that there was plenty more cash in the Elland Road transfer kitty for O’Leary to continue his spending spree.

“A right-winger is next on the shopping list, with Nottingham Forest’s teenager Jermaine Jenas and Feyenoord’s Australia international Brett Emerton the two targets.”

The report suggested that Ridsdale would fund the move with a £75 million deal on the naming rights to the new Leeds stadium. That stadium never arrived. Nor did the fresh influx of cash.