There are plenty of disliked figures from Leeds United’s recent history.
Peter Risdale, Ken Bates and Massimo Cellino are three names that are bound to get any United supporter’s blood boiling, but there’s one ex-player who catches more flack than any other, and that’s Harry Kewell.
The Aussie was a revelation for Leeds in the early 2000s, winning a PFA Young Player of the Year award before moving to Liverpool, but that move to Anfield rubbed a number of people associated with the club up the wrong way.
Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
With United in the midst of massive financial issues, Kewell allowed his contract to run-down before leaving in a cut-price deal that saw his agent pocket more cash than the Elland Road outfit.
The chairman at the time was fuming to say the least, launching a scathing attack on the winger saying: “I am angry and frustrated at the outrageous situation that has developed. Harry Kewell and his agent had been pressing us for a long while to give them 50% of any transfer fee or the player would leave for nothing next summer. With that in mind I agreed a deal of £7m last Friday with the Liverpool chief executive – with whose club Harry appears to have been illegally talking for six months – which Kewell and his agent refused to countenance.”
To make matters worse, his next move was to Galatasaray, a transfer which left Leeds fans even more angry with him due to the fan trouble that had occurred during a Champions League fixture only a few years ago.
For the best part of 17 years, Kewell has been a hated figure amongst Leeds fans, but now he may have a shot at slight redemption.
Alfie McCalmont has been sent out on loan to Oldham Athletic, a club which Kewell now manages, and with the midfielder being a player Bielsa clearly has a strong interest in utilising, this loan spell could be pivotal in his progress towards becoming a regular in Leeds’ first team.
United fans know better than anybody that a good loan spell can help launch someone’s career, just look at Ben White’s heroics last season and where that’s got him.
For all of the negatives, it’s impossible to ignore that Kewell can teach McCalmont a lot, he’s a former Champions League winner who has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, and if he can unlock something in the midfielder that makes him a viable option upon his return to Elland Road, he may take a small step towards redeeming himself at the Yorkshire club.