Steve Morison comments on the quality of Massimo Cellino’s Leeds United signings

Add as preferred source on Google

Former Leeds United striker Steve Morison has been sharing some of the best tales from his time at Elland Road, including working under Massimo Cellino. 

The striker spent two-and-a-half years at Leeds in a West Yorkshire career that is perhaps best described as goal-shy. 

However, the striker did have a successful loan spell at Millwall in 2013-14 during which time Massimo Cellino took control of Leeds United. 

The Italian called Morison and the rest of the first-team back from their summer holidays, as the now Northampton Town youth coach informed The Times this week. 

“I remember being on holiday and all of a sudden we’ve got to be back for pre-season June 1…

“It was a five-minute meeting. I walked in and he said, ‘Where have you been? Look at your record, where have you been?’ I said, ‘I’ve been at Millwall on loan, the last manager didn’t want me’. He said, ‘If I was going to war I’d want you with me. Who’s this Noel Hunt? He’s got one in four ratio, you’ve got one in two-and-a-half.’ I was like, ‘Yeah I want to be here.’ He said, ‘OK, you’re here’. I got in my rented car and went straight to the airport and flew back on holiday.”

He also discussed the players that Leeds brought to the club under the controversial Italian. There are certainly some names that will have Leeds fans’ skin crawling. The likes of Edgar Cani, Zan Benedicic and Grandi Ngoyi, for example.

Morison spoke about the ‘conveyor belt’ of players Leeds brought in and suggested the level most of them were capable of. 

“Every day, there was a new player and you were like, ‘Who is this guy?’ He’s from a Serie C team in Italy. We’re warming up and this new lad has fake boots on. He’s running around with these Pumas on that have 100 studs on the bottom. It was a conveyor belt of people like this.”

TBR’s View

Leeds United certainly made some odd recruitment decisions under the Cellino era. Not just players either. The appointments of managers Dave Hockaday and Darko Milanic are also firm examples. 

Looking back now, Leeds have certainly come a long way under the ownership of Andrea Radrizzani.