Naylor to leave Elland Road

Leeds club captain Richard Naylor will leave the club when his contract expires later this summer.

The Leeds-born 34-year-old is out of contract in June and cannot be guaranteed first-team football.

Manager Simon Grayson said: "I'd like to thank Richard for everything he has done during his two-and-a-half years with us. He's been a great captain for the club, both on and off the field and I can't speak highly enough of him and what he has done.

"There was no one prouder than Richard last May when we won promotion back to the Championship and he has played a big, big role in the turnaround of this football club.

"Unfortunately, we're not in a position where I can offer Richard regular football now and allowing him to move on will give him the best possible opportunity elsewhere."

Meanwhile, Leeds have confirmed the departure of Arsenal striker Sanchez Watt, who made 26 appearances for the club during his season-long loan. Fellow loanees Jake Livermore (Tottenham), Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa), George McCartney (Sunderland) and goalkeeper David Gonzalez (Manchester City) have all returned to their parent clubs.

Grayson keen to tie up Johnson

Bates blasts McCartney after defender claims Leeds stars are exhausted

Leeds defender George McCartney, on loan from Sunderland, has been attacked by chairman Ken Bates for saying players were ‘out on their feet after playing so much this season’.

The 30-year-old, knowing Leeds' chances of finishing in the play-offs are slim, had suggested Simon Grayson's players were "out on their feet after playing so much this season".

Bates said: "I see he's rather unwisely been giving an interview in which he says the players are tired, a sense of jadedness among certain players has proved telling.

"Well, I don't quite understand what he means by that because when we play QPR we'll have played 50 games, but everybody at the club will have played at least 48, 46 league games and two cup matches.

"I don't understand what he means by players being 'out on their feet' after playing so much this season. It certainly doesn't apply to him. As far as I can see, looking at the fixture list, as far as I know, he has only played twice in the last six games.

"So I don't think fatigue can contribute to his contribution, which I haven't been particularly impressed with."

Bates didn't stop there, choosing to then reveal occasions when McCartney's timekeeping has not been up to scratch.

Bates added: "As I understand it, he has been fined more than once for turning up late in training. So perhaps if he turned up on time and showed a bit more commitment then he wouldn't feel quite so tired.

"I think it's a rubbish excuse for him and anybody else who wants to swing that one."

Derby v Leeds MATCH PREVIEW

Derby County are assessing the fitness of defender Dean Leacock, who suffered cramp during his comeback from injury against Coventry on Saturday.Left-back Gareth Roberts is still out with a knee problem, but Russell Anderson and Miles Addison are options for boss Nigel Clough.Leeds pair George McCartney and Sanchez Watt are both in contention to return.Midfielders Barry Bannan and Neil Kilkenny are pushing for recalls to the starting line-up.Leeds' bid for a second successive promotion and a return to the top flight suffered a setback when they were beaten 3-2 by play-off rivals Millwall in a thrilling match on Saturday.
That was Leeds' second defeat in three games and saw Simon Grayson's men slip to sixth in the table, but they are still four points better off than Millwall, who are seventh.With 75 goals scored this season, Leeds are also the Championship's top scorers, and have proved their doubters wrong by sustaining a promotion challenge. The same cannot be said of Derby, who were fourth in December but have slumped towards the relegation zone with a disastrous run of only three wins in 22 league games.The Rams have won only one of their last seven, but took a big step towards safety by coming back from two-down to salvage a draw against Coventry. They are eight points above the drop zone, giving them some breathing space with six games remaining.

Leeds United won't rush transfer deals - Bates

We're not panicking – that's the message from chairman Ken Bates, who insists Leeds United are adopting a calm approach ahead of the closure of the transfer window.
Bates is refusing to rule out fresh faces before the deadline of 11pm on Monday – with the chance of a beat-the-deadline plunge remaining a possibility – but the last thing United will be doing is hitting the panic button, especially with the emergency loan market opening a week tomorrow
United have largely kept their powder dry in terms of incoming arrivals so far this month, with activity restricted to extending left-back George McCartney's loan spell at the club for the rest of the season.
So far, the major activity has been outward bound with Andrew Hughes joining Scunthorpe United on a permanent deal at the end of last week and yesterday Aidy White rejoined Oldham Athletic on loan for the reminder of the campaign after his initial loan spell was curtailed earlier this month through an injury.
But new signings have been pretty conspicuous by their absence, although Bates admits that the 10-day break between matches – resulting from United's exit from the FA Cup – has given club bosses welcome extra time to potentially firm up any transfer plans and hold talks.

Bates said: "Talking to all the people at the club, I don't think there is any panic anywhere.

"We have been reviewing our options, watching alternative players play to see how we can improve and if we can improve our team. I don't want to be taking people just for the sake of taking them on.

"The other advantage of this break this weekend is that after the Portsmouth game, we've now had a good six or seven days to review, whether by video or by reports or discussions, the options open to us and what we do and don't want to do.

"So I think there is a possibility that the club will be signing one or more players before the end of the month.

"There's no panic. After all, on February 5 you can start signing people on 93-day loans, so this transfer window is a bit over-exaggerated anyway.

"But no, there's no panic. Calls from agents… well they're probably calling everybody at the same time.

"We've got 18 games to go, Simon (Grayson) knows what he wants and I hope to have discussions with him on what the consensus of opinions is with him and Gwyn Williams and the backroom staff."

Meanwhile, Hibernian boss Colin Calderwood has dismissed talk of a possible move for United forgotten man Jason Crowe, who played under him at Northampton Town.

United will entertain Aston Villa in the fifth round of the FA Youth Cup after the Midlanders beat Peterborough United 3-1.

Former United midfielder Andy Robinson has re-joined old club Tranmere Rovers for a third time.

Scouser Robinson, 31, who became a free agent after leaving United in December, started his professional career at the Wirral club and spent a loan spell there towards the end of last season.

He has signed a deal with Rovers for the rest of this season.


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