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Barry Douglas shares how he really felt when Wolves decided to sell him to Leeds United

Charles Jones

Tue 29 October 2024 10:45, UK

Wolves’ promotion team from the 2017/18 season will live long in the memory at Molineux.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side was packed full of modern day club legends such as Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Willy Boly and Connor Coady.

Perhaps one of the more underrated players from that team was Barry Douglas.

The Scottish full-back was incredible during that promotion season, scoring five goals and picking up 14 assists in that season,

However, at the end of the campaign, Douglas was almost immediately sold to Leeds United for in what seemed like a rather baffling decision at the time.

Speaking on Under the Cosh, Douglas has been discussing his departure from Wolves, and he says that he was shocked when the club deciced to sell him to Leeds after such a good season.

Barry Douglas shocked by Wolves sale

Douglas says he was surprised by Wolves’ decision to let him go, claiming that he’d earned the chance to play in the Premier League after such a solid season.

“And then it was pre-season and my agent called me and said, look, my manager is going to speak to you. I told him if they’re going to have a conversation, it needs to come from, from him. So he (Nuno) called me like after lunch one day and just sat me down,” Douglas said.

“He’s like, you know how much admiration I’ve got for you. Like what we did together was amazing, but look, we’ve, we’ve had a bid from Leeds. We’re going to accept it.

“And it’s in everyone’s best interest that you basically take it and go.

“I felt, I felt a little bit, I’d, I’d merited the chance to play in the Premier League, you know, especially after that season, what I contributed.

“40 appearances, five goals, 14 assists, which was the top in the league that season for assists. You think you’d need that in the Premier League going in, wouldn’t you?

“Even if they bring another, another left sider in.

“So this is what I said. This was what I said. I said, look, I’m all for rising to the challenge to compete with someone.

“I was big and ugly enough to be like, you know what, I can go one of two ways. Like, you can fall out and I can feel sorry, or I just kind of got on with it and then go on and enjoy something new. And I think at that moment, it kind of changed a wee bit for me.

“I saw football differently because then I understood, like, there’s no loyalty in football whatsoever. It’s just business at the end of the day.”

How did Barry Douglas do at Leeds?

Douglas was miffed by Wolves’ decision to sell him to Leeds United, but it has to be said that the Midlands club’s decision was justified.

Indeed, as good as Douglas was in that 2017/18 season, he would never rediscover that form at Elland Road.

Douglas’ stats during his time at Leeds were nothing special, and he wasn’t even a regular starter for Marcelo Bielsa during most of this period as Stuart Dallas and Ezgjan Alioski both received chances at left-back.

Douglas did have his injury issues at Leeds, but even when he was fit, he wasn’t necessarily making much of an impact at Elland Road.

Leeds would eventually let Douglas go to Blackburn Rovers on loan after being promoted to the Premier League, before Douglas was ultimately released on a free.

As harsh as it was, Wolves may have made the right decision here, especially as they finished seventh upon their return to the top-flight.