Jay-Roy Grot goes on loan to VVV-Venlo

Another departure from Leeds United has been announced, as Jay-Roy Grot leaves the club to go on a season-long loan to VVV-Venlo in the Eredivisie.

Grot, who transferred to Leeds from NEC last August, was used sparingly by both Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom, and it was widely predicted that he would be set to leave the club during the summer transfer window.

Per the club’s official website:

Director of Football Victor Orta said: “A lot of clubs have shown interest in taking Jay-Roy on loan this summer and we have worked hard to analyse each option to find the best solution for the player and for our club.

“We believe that Jay-Roy has a strong future ahead of him and we feel that regularly playing games is going to be a key part of his development.

“We wish him every success this season and we are confident he can only benefit from this experience.”

Grot scored a single goal for the first team in the club’s draw with Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday late in the season, but otherwise found his first season in English football to be difficult. He received a great deal of criticism from the crowd and on social media, leading Thomas Christiansen to complain about the unfair treatment that the teenager was facing.

Grot was unfairly hyped up before the season by the club, as he was introduced on the club’s official page explaining that he would wear the famous number 11 shirt, just like Eddie Gray and Gary Speed. A 19 year-old with only a single season of senior football coming to England for the first time doesn’t need that sort of pressure, and when his growing pains became obvious, the pressure seemed to weigh heavily on both him and Christiansen.

Grot had already played a match for NEC before moving to Leeds, so he was unable to go out on loan, a solution that probably would have suited everyone. Instead, the 20 year-old forward now has the opportunity to get regular first team football on loan this season.

Grot scored a great goal while on the post-season tour in Myanmar and looked like a man among boys when playing with the U23s. He’s also only 20 years old. The club shouldn’t give up on him, so sending him out on loan is a good idea. Let’s hope that he gets better with another season in The Netherlands and comes back next year ready for a season in the first team with Leeds.