Since Ross McCormack exited the club, all focus has been on potential new recruits these last few weeks but as seems to be becoming a trend of Leeds United transfer windows, Sam Byram is once again the centre of speculation regarding his future.

Southampton are said to have had a £4.5m bid rejected yesterday but however unwilling the club may be to part with the supremely talented youngster, I doubt it’d take much of an increase on that figure to start tempting Massimo Cellino, especially if Byram wants to leave and try his hand at Premier League football.

After a début season which saw Byram rapidly emerge as a first team regular and clean-up at the end of season awards, injuries blighted his 2013/14 campaign limiting him’ to 27 appearances, around half of what he made the previous campaign and bringing his total to 80 in just two seasons.

With so much experience already under his belt and still only 20 years of age, Byram has a long and bright future ahead of him. He’s also contracted until 2016 which means Leeds United will have plenty of chances to cash in on their star property further down the line and it’d be nice to think Massimo Cellino recognises his quality and can resist the temptation.

Elsewhere, Fulham are feeling short-changed and moaning about the fitness Ross McCormack arrived at the club in, as if that’s somehow Leeds United’s fault.

“Ross came to us with a lack of fitness and not at the beginning of pre-season” Fulham’s German boss Felix McGath moaned, clearly pointing the finger of blame towards Elland Road instead of taking time to investigate why this was the case.

To recap, Ross McCormack failed to turn up for Leeds United’s pre-season training in Italy as he tried to force through an exit for the second time in six months. Had he acted like a professional and been where he was supposed to be while still under contract with Leeds United, I doubt he’d be in this condition now.

While I – and most Leeds United fans I’m sure – hold no ill-will towards McCormack who was a great player for the club and almost single-handedly saved us from relegation last season, he and Massimo Cellino clearly didn’t see eye-to-eye and this seemed to be his way of forcing the issue for a transfer. While I’m sure Fulham fans will argue that the ends justified the means, his actions came at a cost to his own fitness. And that’s on him, not Leeds United.