This does not bode well for Leek Aleer, a 24-year-old footballer in an elite, but precarious predicament. St Kilda then abruptly withdrew from negotiations to sign him. It was just four weeks ago that Aleer requested the trade that would land him in New Orleans. Their answer was a sweetened four–year contract. That unexpected reversal of fortune has left Aleer “devastated,” with his future at the club now up in the air.
St Kilda’s decision to withdraw from negotiations has been called by Kapadia as a “real head-scratcher.” Many are questioning the rationale behind the move, especially given St Kilda’s aggressive pursuit of rival players in recent years. This strategy looked to be bearing fruit with the recent recruitment of significant players, including Tom De Koning.
Then former player and commentator Josh Jenkins didn’t hold back in his criticism of how St Kilda had dealt with the issue. He insisted, “The Saints need to weigh in on this.” Jenkins stressed that the club needs to do more than just wave the issue away as mere speculation.
“They can’t sit back and say ‘it was only speculation that we were interested and we weren’t fully across the line and we had a look at Leek and didn’t commit’.” – Josh Jenkins
The implications of St Kilda’s choice will reach far past Aleer’s short-term career. Jenkins warned that “St Kilda will pay a price for this, make no mistake about it.” Rather than giving up a second-round pick to finish the deal for Aleer, the Saints have redirected their attention toward making a move for Liam Ryan. This new move makes their position more difficult still.
In more good news for Aleer, the Greater Western Sydney Giants are reportedly still in the mix with an offer on the table. Further to this, it opens the door for other Victorian clubs to sniff around and sign him. Both Collingwood and the Bulldogs have been heavily linked to trying to get Jack Silvagni out of Carlton. Now, they could see Aleer—arguably the best option—as a serious possibility too. When we asked Brenton Sanderson which club would be a “perfect match” for Aleer, he said the Dogs.
Now, Aleer’s prospects hang in the balance once again. The unexpected twist has left him heartbroken. Second, it has re-ignited a discussion on whether St Kilda’s long-term strategy in trading for players. The team faces these challenges in the present day, all the while needing to understand how the decisions they make will affect their future roster flexibility and balance.
