During his tenure at Elland Road, former Leeds United goalkeeper Nigel Martyn questioned the club’s lavish spending, citing the signing of Robbie Fowler from Liverpool as a prime example of poor decision-making.
Chairman Peter Ridsdale signed three big-money players in the summer of 2001, namely Robbie Keane, Seth Johnson, and Fowler, in an effort to stay up with teams vying for Champions League football. Leeds spent £12 million to acquire the Liverpool striker, but they were unable to see a major return on their investment because he played in just 33 games before joining Manchester City for a fraction of that sum.
Early in his career at Liverpool, Fowler established himself as one of England’s top finishers. However, as a result of several injuries, his form declined and he was eventually forced to the sidelines. The Merseyside club profited from a new fitness issue that arose in the summer of 2001, but Martyn has questioned why such a large quantity of money was spent on a player who had persistent issues.
“The financial problems are annoying,” Martyn said to Under The Cosh. “You guys aren’t always aware of what’s going on as athletes. All we were doing was showing up, practicing, and having fun. We believed that in order to challenge Manchester United and Arsenal after moving up to third place in the league, we would need to make player acquisitions.
“We’ve invested a lot of money and acquired Robbie Fowler, but why is Liverpool selling to a competitor? What a fantastic football player. But the sum was substantial [£12 million]. I’ve had a lot of experience with Robbie while he was wearing a Liverpool shirt; he could score goals just for kicks.
Nevertheless, he had a hip issue when he saw us, so his mobility wasn’t as good as it could have been. We caught glimpses of his brilliance while wearing a Leeds shirt. However, Liverpool noticed that he was less mobile as before.
Numerous such investments were financed by loans secured by future gate receipts; nevertheless, Leeds’ inability to make it to the Champions League in the 2001–02 season served as the impetus for the financial meltdown. Alongside the £6 million sale of Fowler to Manchester City, players like Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Keane, and Jonathan Woodgate left.
A year later, Martyn would leave the team as well; Leeds had effectively lost their primary players before being relegated in 2004. They entered administration in 2007 due to ongoing financial problems in the Championship; this decision resulted in a 10-point deduction and solidified their relegation to League One.
Even though Leeds moved up to the Premier League after three years in the third division and ten more in the Championship, the events of more than twenty years ago continue to have an impact on the team. Elland Road was sold in 2004 prior to a protracted ownership transition, and it wasn’t until earlier this year that the club reclaimed complete authority over the property.
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