It has been a summer of change at Elland Road with a whole host of players leaving Leeds United this summer in one way or another, and one has finally broken his silence on Instagram.
Seven players have been sold including the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray and Glen Kamara. Those exits have raked in a figure believed to be north of £80m, with Leeds spending about £15m so far.
Five more have left on loan including Rasmus Kristensen, Jack Harrison and Sam Greenwood, while a heap of players have seen their contracts expire. Liam Cooper remains a free agent after 10 years at Leeds.
Jamie Shackleton, Cody Drameh, Luke Ayling and Ian Poveda will all face Leeds this season after leaving on free transfers, joining Championship clubs. Another to go is Dutch goalkeeper Dani van den Heuvel.
Dani van den Heuvel finally breaks silence on Leeds United exit
The 21-year-old stopper joined Leeds back in the summer of 2020 from Ajax. He failed to make his senior debut at Leeds but did play for the U18 and U21 sides on 41 separate occasions in all competitions.
He also appeared on the bench for Leeds in The Championship and The FA Cup. All while suffering a broken back as a result of a car crash in the summer of 2022, while the player was in his home country.
Van den Heuvel is one of many players to have seen his deal end this summer, and took to Instagram on Tuesday night. The goalkeeper described Leeds as “home” despite leaving his home nation at just 17.
He said: “Arriving at 17, away from home for the first time and living abroad. 4 years ago I signed my first contract. From the first moment I stepped inside the training ground and stadium it felt like home.”
“The people at the club and the amazing Leeds fans, full of passion, always giving their maximum energy and helping me settle in. It made the move so much easier, I’m grateful to everyone that I came across.
“My time at Leeds has come to an end! I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. It’s time for a new adventure and challenge, I’ll keep pushing myself to reach my limits in every way possible.”
Van den Heuvel a top talent but never had a chance at Leeds
For U21 players, it is very difficult to break into the senior set-up. Even at a club like Leeds, who have a clear pathway and a faith in youth. But it is even harder for goalkeepers to get a go in the senior side.
Just ask Kris Klaesson, who has decided to leave Leeds this summer after a few years as the club’s third-choice goalkeeper. Alex Cairns has replaced him as cover for Karl Darlow and obvious no.1 Illan Meslier.
Leeds took Harry Christy on the pre-season trip to Germany and clearly, he will be first choice this term for the U21 side and fourth-choice stopper at Leeds. But for van den Heuvel, the odds were against him.
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