“Good contact with Leeds” – Player reveals offer from England, Whites project key for transfer decision
Senne Lammens, the custodian for Royal Antwerp, denied a transfer to Leeds United early in his career.
Het Nieuwsblad has been discussing a number of subjects with the 22-year-old, and he brought up Leeds United’s strategy.
Although they were unable to sign the goalie, the Whites were one of the teams that expressed interest in him.
Despite having a positive conversation with the Championship team, Lammens has since said that he wasn’t totally sold on their concept. In an interview about the clubs he had previously rejected, he talked candidly about ignoring Leeds.
“All the top Belgian teams, when I was 16. Then you start listening. Foreign teams too,” he said.
“When I chose Antwerp, there were offers from English clubs. Not immediately as a first team keeper, but with an interesting long-term plan. There was good contact with Leeds, among others.”
The goalie stated that English teams, most likely Daniel Farke’s outfit, are still monitoring him.
“Those teams keep following you. So, who knows, one day… The Premier League is still the best competition there is,” Lammens explained.
“But the move to Antwerp was the best anyway. Going abroad alone, without family and without a girlfriend, that was probably too early.”
In June 2023, the goalie from Club Brugge joined the Jupiler Pro League team. Leeds would have expressed interest in him during the winter 2023 transfer window, when he was reportedly linked to the English team.
According to a January 2023 article by Het Laatste Nieuws, Leeds was interested in signing Lammens, and Club Brugge was waiting for him to relocate to Elland Road.
Lammens has been Royal Antwerp’s first-choice custodian since the beginning of this season, proving that his decision to join them over other teams was worthwhile. This season, the Belgian has played 37 games, keeping eight clean sheets and giving up 45 goals.
In related news:
Kieran Maguire: Leeds could save Premier League clubs £51m today
Leeds United ‘could save Premier League clubs £51m’ at Elland Road
The Whites won 1-0 at Oxford United last time out, extending their winning streak to three games in a row following a turbulent spell of play.
Premier League implications if Leeds and Burnley win promotion
Following a Whites victory over Stoke, Burnley would defeat Sheffield United to earn automatic promotion to the Premier League with Farke’s team, while the Blades would have to contend with the playoffs.
| Opponent | Result |
| Middlesbrough (A) | 0-1 W |
| Preston (H) | 2-1 W |
| Oxford (A) | 0-1 W |
After being demoted in 2024 and 2023, respectively, the Clarets and Leeds are both presently receiving Premier League parachute payments.
The ramifications of that were discussed by football financial specialist Kieran Maguire, who wrote on X:
“When Leicester and Southampton were relegated in 2022/23 and promoted the following season, £102million in parachute payments were saved…these savings have been split between Premier League clubs.
“Should Burnley and Leeds be promoted today, then a further £51m will be saved…this will also be divided between Premier League clubs.”
Leeds should perform better in the Premier League than recently promoted sides
The fact that the £51 million they were supposed to earn will now be divided among the Premier League competitors for the upcoming season should not excite Farke or Scott Parker.
All three of the recently promoted teams were relegated back to the Championship from the top division at the first attempt just last season.
Given that Southampton and Leicester City have already been demoted and Ipswich Town is expected to follow them in the second division next season, that scenario appears likely to occur once again this season.
However, after almost losing out on promotion to the Premier League the previous season, Leeds will be confident that they can avoid the relegation the following year.
In addition to playing an attractive, aggressive style of football, Farke’s team has mainly displayed class in the Championship this season.
Although Leeds has to put in a lot of effort during the summer transfer window to get ready for life in the Premier League, the West Yorkshire team should be prepared for the demands of the top division with the support of its devoted supporters and powerful owners in The 49ers Enterprises.