YEP om Beckfords (eventuelle) avgang:
Jermaine Beckford's departure from Leeds United is the transfer story which, to the delight of all at Elland Road, has failed to grow legs this summer.
With 20 goals on Beckford's record after one year of serious involvement at Leeds, it seemed improbable that certain clubs lodged in the Championship would miss the opportunity to test the water and discover how serious United's not-for-sale sign was.
Norwich City's interest has been highlighted regularly without, it seems, maturing into a realistic cash offer, but Leeds appear to have avoided the challenge of looking a transfer fee in the eye and saying no.
Four goals in two matches – albeit against Scunthorpe United and Chester City – might now change that.
All the same, bids faxed to Elland Road are likely to be worth less than the paper they are printed on, in United's eyes at least.
Gary McAllister does not intend to sell before the August 31 deadline, and Ken Bates says likewise. It is good to hear them signing in harmony from an identical hymnsheet. When I asked Bates about Beckford's position recently, he said: "Jermaine wants to stay and we don't want to sell him. Even a journalist can work that one out."
The club's stance has effectively marked Beckford, right, as out-of-bounds, but so too has the striker's own attitude. It is one which does him great credit.
Of course his contract at Elland Road is lengthy and, naturally, he would cost a large sum but those factors have never restricted a player's freedom. Beckford could have worked to engineer a move this summer and would have found Championship wages with a bit of effort. He would not have been the first player to do that, or the last.
It may be that he feels a strong sense of loyalty to Leeds. He might also have looked at last season's Championship table and realised that not a single club were able to exceed United's average crowd or largest attendance of the season. Money aside, there is little he could reasonably ask for elsewhere that he does not already have.
If promotion eludes Leeds this season then a desire to leave on Beckford's part would be understandable. The club will have bigger issues to consider than how to retain their leading striker.
But the idea of him jumping ship while there is sun on the horizon is one he should treat with the contempt it deserves.