After the news of the transfer broke on Wednesday, January 10, Ayling, 32, sent a farewell message to Leeds supporters on his personal Instagram account. Although he is only moving to Boro on loan, his Elland Road contract will expire this summer, and there is no indication that it will be extended.

Leeds’ right-back is one of the team’s “modern greats,” according to a plethora of current and former players who responded to Ayling with David Prutton, who currently hosts the flagship EFL show on Sky Sports.

Ellie Goulding, a musician, and darts world champion Luke Humphries also contacted Ayling to express their gratitude for his time at Elland Road. Former Chelsea and England defender Terry simply answered with three blue hearts.

Terry is responding to Ayling’s transfer announcement, but why?

As Terry had only ever been connected to England, West Ham, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa during his playing career, and Aston Villa and Leicester throughout his coaching career, it is difficult to determine where their paths might have met looking back over their careers.

Football Manager previously named Terry as Ayling’s idol in the game, but that is about the only connection we can really draw between the two players—Ayling hasn’t had any involvement with either of those teams, but they were both born in London.

It’s an unusual one, and one that might come up at a trivia event in Leeds later on.

‘What do John Terry, Ellie Goulding, Luke Humphries and Adebayo Akinfenwa (yes, he replied as well) have in common? They all replied to Luke Ayling’s goodbye message to Leeds United’.

It would be such a strange dinner gathering.

We will mourn Ayling as a character since he has been a tremendous servant to Leeds, but as a player, this move has been long overdue, and we’re eager to see who Daniel Farke can draft in to replace Bill.

In related news:

Leeds United: Mateusz Klich and Ross McCormack react as Luke Ayling exit news announced

Following the announcement that Luke Ayling has left Leeds United to sign a loan deal with Middlesbrough for the second half of the season, Mateusz Klich and Ross McCormack reacted right away.

The 32-year-old, who has been a member of the Elland Road team since 2016, has temporarily joined Michael Carrick’s team until the end of the 2023–2024 campaign and the expiration of his present contract with the Whites.

Ayling posted a farewell letter to Elland Road supporters and his teammates shortly after the news was made public on Wednesday, January 10. Ayling was immediately welcomed by many Leeds fans and former and current players.

One of the first people to respond to the message was McCormack, who said: “Lovely words. All the best Luke Ayling.”

Klick’s response was far more subdued; all he did was respond with a sad expression and a heart emoji.

A loved character

Thanks to his amazing work ethic and evident passion for both the Whites as a team and football in particular, Ayling was quickly embraced by Leeds United supporters as soon as he arrived at Elland Road.

The reaction to his parting letter makes it abundantly evident that his teammates shared the same sentiments about him as Elland Road supporters did. Whites players from the past and present wished the defender well as soon as his transfer was revealed.

When things have been difficult recently, Ayling has always stepped up and given it his best, even though it hasn’t always resulted in the perfect end. He was a big part of what made Leeds so great under Marcelo Bielsa’s leadership.

It would be a tragedy if he never puts on a Leeds uniform again after his loan period ends. He may have been surplus to needs under Daniel Farke this season, but his impact behind the scenes has undoubtedly been enormous.