Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has labeled Vurnon Anita “a huge waste of money” after he left the club yesterday.
The 30-year-old had his contract with the Whites terminated by mutual consent, bringing his career at Elland Road to an end after two years.
The Dutchman made a total of 22 appearances for Leeds and had not featured once since the arrival Marcelo Bielsa.
Anita spent the 2018/19 campaign on loan at Eredivisie club Willem II and had reportedly been made to train away from the Whites first team this season.
He had been linked with a move away to Greek side Panathinaikos this summer but that never fully materialised.
It is thought that the termination of his contract means Leeds will have had to pay Anita a significant sum in compensation.
The defensive midfielder is now a free agent after leaving the club and, speaking to Football Insider, Whelan was heavily critical of him.
He said: “Sad to say, but Anita has been a huge waste of money.
“I know he joined on a free but he was handed a good contract because he joined as a big-name player who’s played for Holland and over 100 times in the Premier League.
“That experience has proved to be irrelevant. Marcelo Bielsa had a look at him and knew the club had better central midfielders and better full-backs. There were better players in the youth team.
“It was obvious a season ago he wouldn’t cut it at Leeds and that’s why he was unable to find a new club this summer. If he was good enough, he would have been signed by now.”
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The Verdict
It may seem harsh but Whelan is right, Anita has failed to have any real impact since joining the Whites and seems to have been a waste of money.
Despite the money which Leeds are believed to have had to pay Anita, offloading him was the right decision.
With pressure high on the squad to end the Yorkshire club’s 15-year absence from the Premier League this season, the last thing that they needed is a frustrated player who doesn’t want to be at the club still there, potentially causing issues and having a negative impact.