Peterborough United endured a massive makeover throughout the summer transfer window, bringing in 18 new faces and letting go 17 on permanent deals in manager Steve Evans’ first window in charge of Posh.
However, some exits were more controversial than others, one being Danny Lloyd’s surprise move to National League side Salford City. The 26-year-old had a successful single season at London Road, making 41 appearances, scoring 13 and assisting seven in all competitions. The playmaker was announced on the retained list, but left the club despite it looking like Lloyd was set to stay.
After Lloyd’s switch to Salford, the inevitable comments were made. Given the Ammies’ finances, Posh fans quickly jumped to the fact that Lloyd only left because of money, much to the annoyance of the playmaker. The former Stockport man then made what would become his infamous ‘peanuts’ comment, saying that he was on very little money.
The saga kicked on further when chairman and major shareholder Darragh MacAnthony tweeted regarding the situation, saying:
Imagine getting paid over £80k in your first year of playing professional league football & describing it as earning peanuts 😳🙄😬. Genuinely in shock reading that. But then again nothing surprises me in this game. But still wish him every success in future endeavours & thanks.
— Darragh MacAnthony (@DMAC102) July 16, 2018
Ever since, Lloyd has been on the receiving end of jokes on social media referring to his ‘peanuts’ comment, and they feature on the majority of his posts on Twitter.
However, the former Posh man went on the D3D4 Football Podcast at the weekend, and explained the real reasons behind the move. ‘
He told D3D4 Football:
“It was quite weird really because I was actually on the retained list. So for me, it wasn’t that Steve (Evans) wanted to get rid of me, it was just a case of me not feeling that it was the right club.
“Sometimes you go to a club and it just doesn’t click, it just doesn’t feel right.
“The thing with Steve is that I think he gets a bit of a bad rep for the way he is, on the touchline and the way he approaches games and stuff. But, he’s just intense and he knows what he wants, he’s got standards. If you’re meeting those standards then he’ll keep you. It wasn’t about him thinking that all of the lads he got rid off are bad footballers, they’re just not the right footballers for his team.
Whilst talking on the podcast, presenter James Richards revealed that there was Championship interest in Lloyd over the summer. Lloyd added:
“Yeah, there was multiple clubs that rang and asked what the fees were and what it would take to get me to them. It started in January, there was good interest there and there was nearly a deal done with a club but it fell through unfortunately, but that’s just football.
He went on to explain why he moved to Salford, as he became one of the most high profile National League signings of the summer:
“People are going to look at it as black and white when it’s the least black and white situation you’re going to see. You’ve got to take into account that I’m living away from family, I didn’t feel wanted by the club throughout pre-season. Even down to the littlest details like you come back in on the first day and your squad number has been taken away. Why? I didn’t get it, at all.
“I just felt like Peterborough wasn’t the place for me anymore. I didn’t feel like I was going to be involved as much, and for me at 26/27 this year, I needed to be playing regular football, whether that was in League One, League Two or the Conference, I need to play regular football.
“It was a decision that was made on many factors, and in the end all arrows pointed towards Salford. In every aspect of the decision, it was right, this is the right move.
“Since the day I’ve walked into the door, I’ve not regretted my decision once. All the negativity I’ve got, all the battering that I’ve took on social media, not once have I thought ‘I’ve made the wrong decision’, not once. I wish Peterborough all the best of luck, I got on very well with Steve, and Rayns (Paul Raynor – assistant manager), all of his backroom staff. They were good people to work with.
Lloyd was then asked about the ‘peanuts’ comment he made after his move to Salford City was sealed. When Richards states that he saw it in the context of peanuts relative to other League One footballers, the 26-year-old responded:
“It wasn’t even other League One footballers, it was other lads in the club had much more lucrative contracts than me. And at the end of the season, with all the clubs phoning up, there wasn’t any talk of ‘lets open talks with your representatives’, lets see what we can do for you. There was none of that.
“When you come back for pre-season and your squad number is gone and you feel like your place in the squad has been diluted, why wouldn’t you want to leave? Why wouldn’t you wanted to go to a place where you are wanted and valued?
“14/15 months ago I was working for a bin company, and I think that comment, was in the heat of the moment, and I didn’t have enough space on the platform to explain what I meant. But if you look at it with a bit of common sense, I was clearly speaking in relative terms to what the average salary at Peterborough was. It wasn’t meant as ‘I’m on peanuts compared to someone who’s working an average office job. I wasn’t on peanuts, I was fully aware i was on good money.
“I set myself up for it. It was my fault, I regret it, I apologize to anybody that I offended, but it wasn’t helped by things that happened afterwards. I still can’t put a tweet up without someone commenting the peanuts emoji.”
