Anthony had featured regularly under new boss Iraola, starting three of the first four games this season. However, after Cherries moved late to sign winger Luis Sinisterra on loan, Anthony was suddenly deemed surplus to requirements, shipped out to Leeds United in the Championship for the rest of the season. Iraola explained earlier in the summer how he has little to do with transfer dealings, leaving that to the likes of Richard Hughes and Neill Blake.
Asked how much of a say he had in the shock Sinisterra and Anthony swap deal,
Andoni Iraola said: “It is a situation that happened on the last day of the window. The club thought that we could be stronger adding a player like Luis Sinisterra. He was on Saturday (at Brentford) watching the game. Now he is going with the national team, so we will not have him for the next 10 to 12 days. But it is another player we have who can make the difference, starting from wide. It is a good addition for us.”
Quizzed on if he supported the idea of Anthony going to Leeds,
Andoni Iraola added: “It is a decision he had to make. I tried to help him as much as I could, because Jaidon, I love him as a person and as a player. Of the four games he has been with me, he has started three. He was very good in pre-season. But he had to take the decision, because we have a lot of options there out wide. It is the decision he finally took and I hope the best, because he deserves it. I know he is going to play very well there in Leeds and I hope he returns next season even better as a player.”
Anthony was with Cherries’ squad in the team hotel, getting ready to face Brentford in the Premier League the following day, before his sudden departure. Detailing his conversations with the 23-year-old,
Andoni Iraola said: “I tried to be as honest as I could, because he deserves it. I had no problem if he was to stay here, no problem at all. And you can see because he has played with me, he has started. He is a reliable player. You tell him to do this, he will do it or he will try to do it. He will make mistakes, like everyone else, but he is a very reliable player. He had to take the decision knowing the players he will be fighting for in his position. The option he had also I think was really good, to a very good team. He decided to take that route. It’s a loan, so I hope he comes back with us, for sure he will, like a better player. As a person, he is a top, top guy. I think he deserved all the honesty, as much as I could. I tried to help him, but he was the one with the final decision.”
