Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso insisted, after talks between the Germany international and Daniel Farke’s Yorkshire giants broke down, that he would hold no grudges.
“Nadiem (Amiri) will remain with us,” the Liverpool legend said, via BuliNews. “I’m not mad at him. I can understand when players need to think through a decision.
“We now expect him to make an effort for us. He’ll be in the matchday squad (for the Bundesliga).”
But still, Amiri’s omission from Leverkusen’s Europa League roster is a direct consequence of the silky playmaker turning down a move away, even after the German giants had agreed on a £5 million fee with Leeds United in August.
Nadiem Amiri paying the price for Leeds United snub
According to Kicker, neither Alonso nor sporting director Simon Rolfes are convinced that Amiri’s head is in the right place to give his all for his current employers. What’s more, the long-serving midfielder appears to have cost Leverkusen a tidy windfall, with his contract expiring in 2024 and an offer of a new deal unlikely to arrive any time soon.
Amiri has only played one minute in Leverkusen’s first four games of the new campaign.
According to The Athletic, Amiri held face-to-face talks with Farke at Leeds’s Thorp Arch training. The deal then collapsed due to a combination of financial and personal reasons, Amiri spotted taking in the sights and sounds of Leeds city centre before the negotiations went all ‘Cody Gakpo’ on the Championship challengers.
Leeds, at least, went some way to offsetting any frustration by bringing in two new midfielders before the deadline passed on September 1st. Glen Kamara arrived from Rangers. Former Werder Bremen ace Ilia Gruev, meanwhile, ensured that Leeds did get their mitts on one Bundesliga ace in the final week of the window.
