'Big club' - Leeds United summer target reveals reason he snubbed Elland Road for rival transfer
Sheffield United's on-loan winger Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has told the YEP's sister title the Sheffield Star why he chose Bramall Lane over Leeds United and Elland Road this summer.
The Crystal Palace youngster signed on loan with the Blades having previously enjoyed a goal-filled spell at Charlton Athletic. Premier League side Palace are keen for the winger to get plenty of minutes under his belt, as well as exposure to a higher level of football more comparable to the top flight.
It was suggested over the summer that Leeds decided to pull away from a move for the 21-year-old due to supposed game-time assurances which Daniel Farke and the United hierarchy were not willing to guarantee.
“A loan from the Premier League usually only comes for game-time,” Farke said last month, thought to be referencing negotiations to bring Rak-Sakyi to Elland Road but without mentioning the player by name. “We have a strong squad, so sometimes you can't guarantee minutes. Names are not important but what you deliver on the training pitch, in games, what you show in the dressing room. It's never a guarantee whoever I bring in that he plays.”
This claim was rebuffed by Blades manager Chris Wilder, while the Star say Bramall Lane sources 'strenuously deny' any suggestion that Rak-Sakyi joined the club over Leeds due to assurances given to Palace over the winger's minutes.
“Jes has come here to play football, but there are no guarantees,” Wilder said. “I know another club put out there, to cover themselves, that we signed a guarantee that Jes played a certain amount of games. Absolute fabrication. There's another word I'd like to use that I'm not sure I'll be allowed to.”
Speaking for the first time on his decision to choose Sheffield United over Leeds, Rak-Sakyi told the Star: “My agent made me aware of the interest from them [Leeds] and I knew it was a big club.
"But the manager here spoke to me and I was really impressed with what he said and the plans he had for me. So that made me decide to come here," he added.
The Blades youngster has made two starts, one of which in the Carabao Cup, and two appearances from the bench so far this season, playing just shy of 150 minutes.