AND THERE'S MORE ON FERDINAND
Last updated : 19 June 2002 By Editor
'Ferdinand's global profile has improved immeasurably over the course of the
tournament. Many managers, Ferguson among them, raised eyebrows on
hearing that Leeds United had agreed to pay West Ham United a British-
record fee of £18 million in November 2000, but now it is considered one of
the steals of the century. Leeds could solve their financial problems in one fell
swoop by selling him to the highest bidder, but are adamant that they would
prefer to keep him.
"We have had no offers for Rio and I don't want to go down that road because
we want to build a team around him," Peter Ridsdale, the Leeds chairman,
said last week. "I am very pleased and proud to see Rio doing so well for
England and that only goes to reaffirm why we brought him to the club. I can't
speculate about what will happen but the only thing at the back of my mind is
how well the Leeds players are doing at the World Cup.
"When we signed Rio for a club-record fee, a lot of people thought we were
mad. Now he is doing what we all knew he was capable of and everyone
seems to think it was they who signed him. We did raise eyebrows when we
signed Rio, paying what was at the time a world-record transfer for a
defender, but we have had offers substantially above that £18million figure
since. You should assume the offers have been well above £20 million."
The implications of Ridsdale's words are clear: Leeds, already fearful of losing
players such as Lee Bowyer and Harry Kewell, are in no mood to sell,
although that resolve is likely to weaken considerably should United or, more
preferably, AC Milan follow up their firm interest with an offer in excess of £30
million. "In the past, this club would have considered the kind of figures you're
talking about as too good to turn down," Ridsdale said. "We don't want to go
down that road again." David O'Leary, the Leeds manager, has indicated that
the matter may be resolved above his head, since the club is a public limited
company, but so, too, is Manchester United. Ferguson, their manager, will try
to persuade his board that Ferdinand, at 23, represents an outstanding long-
term investment, even at what could be double the price that he and several
other managers, including Liverpool's Gérard Houllier, considered to be over
the odds barely 18 months ago.'
