Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch says he 'loves' Daniel James, but revealed the winger had to be moved on this summer in order for the club to bring in a new striker on deadline day.
James, who had started all four of the last Premier League matches, was sent out to Fulham on a season-long loan deal in what was something of a chaotic deadline day at Elland Road.
After missing out on Cody Gakpo and Bamba Dieng, Leeds eventually brought in Wilfried Gnonto, with his arrival confirmed some 25 minutes after James had departed for Craven Cottage.
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And despite racking up close to £100m with the sales of Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips earlier in the summer, Marsch insisted the departure of James was necessary in order to press ahead with their bid for a new forward.
James was understood to have admirers at Tottenham Hotspur, while Everton were also linked, but Fulham eventually won the race for his signature.
Speaking after his side's 5-2 defeat at Brentford, he said: “Yeah, it was clear that if we wanted to add something that we needed to move something. I hate speaking about it that way because I love Dan James, he's an incredible person and he gives everything to the group always.
“When we were trying to think about how to get the balance right in the team, this was the key garnering the most interest and it was the only way that we could create flexibility to try and go out and add a striker position that we felt we needed. So I wish that we wouldn't have had to do it and even the way that it went down because it was kind of tough for Dan.
“We discussed it weeks before the transfer deadline about the possibility and then we had a lot of open conversations with Dan and it was tough at the end because I know he likes it here and his family likes it here.
“I wish him luck and I really liked him and I hope he has a good season and a good World Cup and hopefully then we'll see him again next time.”
