Jesse Marsch’s decision to sanction a loan exit for Dan James after talking up his prospects at Leeds United left him really annoyed last summer.
James made a deadline day season-long-loan switch to Fulham in 2022 after Marsch deemed him surplus to requirements at Elland Road, despite having played him regularly at the start of the season.
The 26-year-old struggled to make an impact at Fulham and returned to Leeds in the summer, where Daniel Farke was quick to tell him he would be a big part of his plans.
However, after another strong display from James last night, Phil Hay has written in his latest article for the Athletic how Marsch’s treatment of him made him feel.
It is said that Marsch made all the ‘right noises’ about his chances of regular football at Leeds throughout the summer, only to then let him leave on loan late in the window.
James has returned to transform Leeds career
Despite how his Leeds exit made him feel last summer, James returned to West Yorkshire from his loan at Fulham with only one thought in his mind.
James was determined to come back to Leeds, even after the club were relegated from the Premier League, and give it his all to transform his career at Elland Road.
And that is certainly what he has done on the basis of his start to the season, having scored five goals and provided four assists already in Leeds’ opening 18 matches, with Dom Matteo hailing him as ‘outstanding’.
Daniel Farke is said to have sat him down in the summer and told him he would be a key player at Leeds, which has given him the confidence to go out and perform.
While not many would’ve disagreed with Marsch’s decision at the time, clearly he did not handle it very well and so it is now nice to see James playing with such confidence.
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