‘They needed the money’: Pontus Jansson explains Leeds exit
Pontus Jansson has said he was sold to Brentford because Leeds “saw they could make some money” and hinted that his relationship with Marcelo Bielsa was not optimal because of language issues.
The defender joined Brentford late on Monday on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. His performances last season earned him a place in the Championship team of the year and his campaign was notable also for attempts to ignore Bielsa’s call for Leeds to allow Aston Villa to equalise against them.
“Leeds needed to sell to balance the books because of FFP and they saw that they could make some money out of me,” Jansson told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. “I said to my agent [Martin Dahlin] that I wanted to stay in England when this situation arose. There have been several tempting offers from various clubs but I am happy here and have made a name for myself in this country.
“My ambition is to play in the Premier League but I didn’t want to sit and wait for the right club in the Premier League to make an offer later in the summer and let this chance [to join Brentford] pass me by. I felt early on that Brentford was right for me.
“I have always liked to have a close relationship with my coach. Like the relationship I had with Roland Nilsson or Rikard Norling for example. That hasn’t been as easy with Bielsa and one reason for that is the language.
“I regard Bielsa very highly, as one of the absolute best coaches I have worked with. He is special, believes in his idea to the max and I have learned a lot from him.”