Ex-Leeds United man makes Jesse Marsch sacking and Elland Road fan claims after acrimonious exit

When Leeds suffered relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 season and 49ers Enterprises completed a takeover from Andrea Radrizzani, the new men in charge set their hearts on retaining a small number of key players. Adams was one of those. The midfielder could play no part in pre-season due to a season-ending hamstring injury he first picked up in March and so spent his time in rehabilitation at Thorp Arch while Daniel Farke build a new-look team. Leeds believed they tried everything in their might to convince Adams to stay and fight for promotion back to the top flight and also expressed confidence that the expiration of his release clause would mean his retention. But by August 20 he was a Bournemouth player. A deal in excess of £20m sent him straight back to the Premier League without the club that brought him to English football in 2022 and he said goodbye in a Tweet: "Not an easy goodbye. The club, my team-mates and the fans have supported me since day one, and I wish I could've given more in the home stretch. Forever grateful for this past year."

But club CEO Angus Kinnear's appearance on The Square Ball podcast hinted at just how acrimonious the split with Adams, and that with Luis Sinisterra who also went to Bournemouth, became. "I think the first thing is you need to be professional in the interim is the first thing," he said. "You need to remember who you're contracted to and the value of that contract. And I think you need to approach that through discussion and trying to get to mutual agreement rather than the avenues that they pursued. I don't think it's particularly helpful to expand on what they are and as I said, ultimately I have to respect their decisions but I don't think it's a way to behave to a club that's really looked after you and continues to look after you and was offering you fantastic alternatives to remain at the club."

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Adams has now addressed his time at Leeds in a conversation with former US Men's National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard for the Daily Mail. The 25-year-old said: "It was a no brainer [coming to Leeds]. "I honestly didn't really know what I was getting myself into. When things are going really, it's amazing - the best thing ever. But when things aren't going well…"

Hamstring issues restricted Adams to just three Premier League appearances for the Cherries last season and his rancid luck with injuries curried very little sympathy among supporters back in Leeds. He insists that their working class history and attitude is something that chimes with him, regardless of what they say about him. "It's a team and a city built off hard work, it's blue-collar,' he said. "I resonate with those fans unbelievably well - to this day. Whether they say they hate me or not, I couldn't care less."

He also believes that had his American compatriot and former RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls boss Jesse Marsch stayed in his post at Elland Road then Leeds would not have been relegated, a position Marsch himself has consistently put forward since his sacking. "We were actually in a good position when Jesse got fired," said Adams. "I thought that if we just continued the way that we were going, we would have stayed up."