Leeds United centre-back Pontus Jansson was the subject of a £10 million offer from Russian side Krasnodar in the summer of 2018, but he made the decision to stay at Elland Road.
Jansson’s decision to stay with Leeds United has proved to be an important one for both the club and the big Swede. Marcelo Bielsa’s side will finish either 3rd or 4th in the table, giving them the chance to win promotion to the Premier League after missing out on the automatic spots – and Jansson’s form has been a big part of that.
The 28-year-old has played 40 games in all competitions, helping Leeds keep 12 clean sheets along the way. His courageous performances over the course of this season have only cemented his place in the hearts of Leeds supporters.
Now, speaking to FourFourTwo, Jansson revealed his passionate reason for turning down a move to Russia last season. The defender stated that out of respect for the club, he wanted to remain at Elland Road to help improve on last season’s 13th place finish.
“I think as a player you have to respect and know your club, know the history, know how big the club is,” Jansson said.
“I really know what this club means to people, so for me, it’s a responsibility; you have to do something for the club. So last year, when it didn’t go that good, as a person I also felt bad. I felt like I’d left so many people disappointed. And that’s not what you want to be.
“I had an offer to leave in the summer, and I said to my agent, ‘I don’t want to leave Leeds in this way’. I didn’t want people to remember me for negative things, thinking, ‘This guy didn’t care about the club”
“I really wanted to come back this season and give people a good picture of me as a person, to see that I respect the club.
“This club, I’ve said it before, it changed my life to something good. After a bad year in Italy with injuries and a lot of things happening off the pitch, I came here. The love I got from the club is just unbelievable, and I will never forget it. So it was my responsibility to really come here and do something good this year.”
