Former Leeds United midfielder Seth Johnson has opened up on his infamous contract negotiations with the club, as his deal became synonymous with the club’s financial profligacy.
Seth Johnson was one of the most highly rated young players in England when he joined Leeds United for £7million in the autumn of 2001.
David O’Leary was under pressure to deliver Leeds back into the Champions League that season; however, Leeds would eventually slump to a fifth-place Premier League finish as their financial issues came home to roost.
Within a year, Peter Ridsdale had resigned as chairman of Leeds and the club was destined for relegation in the 2003/04 season.
Now, Johnson has moved to dispel the myths that surround his contract negotiation with Leeds and lifted the lid on his salary at Elland Road.
Which former Leeds player would you have back, if you could pick one? Raphinha surely has to be up there💎
Seth Johnson dispels Leeds United contract negotiation myth
For years, rumours have swirled around Ridsdale’s negotiation with Johnson and his representatives, with suggestions that the former Leeds chairman paid significantly more than Johnson’s camp requested.
However, speaking to the Under the Cosh podcast, Johnson has now moved to quash that rumour, explaining that he was not even present during the negotiation.
“I wasn’t there for the negotiations,” Johnson said: “My agent rang me up, and it was 27, 29, 31, 33 and 35 [thousand pounds per week]. So 35 was my last year of the contract, but I wasn’t even there the last year of my contract. So that was still unbelievably amazing.
“But I didn’t even know what to expect. I wasn’t even thinking about the money. I knew it was going to be more than what I was on at Derby. So it never really bothered me.”
He added: “The only thing about my contract was that in my fourth year, I snapped my cruciate. So the year we went down, the year we got relegated from the Premier League, I snapped my cruciate about a month, two months before the end of the season.
“So I’ve snapped my cruciate and been relegated to the Championship, and my wages went up two grand a week because of my contract. There was no relegation clause in the contract.”
Seth Johnson became a lightning rod for Leeds United’s mismanagement
While Johnson himself accepts that his time at Leeds was not a success elsewhere in the interview, he became an unfair lightning rod for criticism after the event.
Several members of that Leeds squad escaped the worst of the criticism because they left the club. Leeds were paying significant contributions to Robbie Fowler, Danny Mills and Paul Okon’s wages long after they had left Elland Road.
Can you think of a worse Leeds signing than Seth Johnson? 💸
The midfielder endured a torrid time at Elland Road
However, as Leeds toiled in their first year in the Championship under Kevin Blackwell, Johnson was an expensive reminder of their financial excess, as he sat on the sidelines earning a significant salary.
Injuries meant Leeds never got to see Johnson at his best. But the blame for this costly mistake sits squarely with the man who signed the cheques, not the player who received the wage.
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