Rio Ferdinand reveals what he told David O’Leary just before signing for Leeds from West Ham

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Rio Ferdinand became the world’s most expensive defender when he joined Leeds United from West Ham in 2000.

Ferdinand was part of one of Leeds’ most memorable ever seasons as he played a regular role in the club reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

At the time, Leeds were very much one of England’s powerhouses and so making the move from West Ham was a significant step up in quality.

Ferdinand has actually revealed how he turned down a move to Chelsea in favour of joining Leeds, but ultimately, it was the regularity of these sort of transfers which led the club into financial obscurity.

After less than two years at Leeds, Ferdinand again became the world’s most expensive defender when he left for bitter rivals Manchester United, a deal the Whites effectively had to agree to due to their spiralling off-field troubles.

Ferdinand reveals what he told O’Leary just before signing for Leeds from West Ham

At the time of Ferdinand’s arrival at Elland Road, Leeds were managed by David O’Leary, someone you could argue underachieved given the lack of trophies and amount of money he had to spend.

Speaking on the latest episode of the ‘Stick to Football Podcast’, Ferdinand has shared how he personally initiated a call with O’Leary before sealing his move to Leeds.

Ferdinand claimed that while his agents were discussing the money side of things, he wanted to speak to O’Leary to ensure he would be getting coached to elevate his game to the next level.

He said: “I remember when I signed for Leeds the agents were talking and negotiating the money and I said can I speak to the manager? I rang him and said are you just going to coach me how to defend. Coach me more.

“And to be fair he was true to his word, him and Roy Aitken and Eddie Gray drilled me constantly on the training pitch. Going from West Ham to Leeds, who were playing Champions League football, the stakes are higher so you take it a bit more seriously, your defensive responsibility.”

Ferdinand shares why he picked Leeds over Chelsea

As mentioned, at the time of Ferdinand’s arrival, Leeds were always one of the sides who were competing towards the top end of the table.

Leeds were able to attract a number of big-name players, though a lot of that was down to the ridiculous contracts the club were reportedly offering.

However, Ferdinand has actually shared the real reason he wanted to join Leeds over Chelsea was to get out of London and focus on his career.

He said: “When I left [for] Leeds I could have gone to Chelsea and it’s probably a club I would have preferred to go to at the time, but the reason I left to go to Leeds was because it was out of London and the external people around me I needed to get away from.”