Over the past few windows, we’ve written so much about Leander Dendoncker’s failed transfers (most recently to West Ham and Crystal Palace) that it’s getting really hard to not feel sorry for him.
The young defensive midfielder, seeing Youri Tielemans get his big move to AS Monaco, has wanted to leave Anderlecht since the summer, yet his club’s reluctance to sell him means he’s still there, and he’s not exactly thrilled about it.
Last summer, the Belgian side were adamant they didn’t want to see their two star midfielders leave, and only a big offer would have seen an Dendoncker exit as well as Tielemans.
The price varied from €38m to around €20m depending on the source (and there were a lot of different ones), but still no one came forward, and the young midfielder remained.
Already struggling, Anderlecht weren’t thrilled at the idea of weakening their side midway through the season, and despite late interest from David Moyes’ West Ham (and very briefly Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace), the club stood firm because the director of football ‘didn’t want to get lynched by the fans’.
However, there’s good news for the player in all of this, and that’s the fact he’s been given a ‘written promise’ he’ll be allowed to leave in the next transfer window, according to DH.
This means that if West Ham or Crystal Palace return with an offer matching Anderlecht’s demands (which won’t be ludicrous), then the club won’t stand in his way.
