JAIDON Anthony was an early summer target for Leeds United, but the Whites had “given up on him” before a late transfer window development.

That is according to Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear, who has explained the club’s last-ditch move to bring in the Cherries winger.

Anthony heads to Elland Road on a season-long loan deal, with Luis Sinisterra going in the opposite direction.

The move, which happened late on deadline day, came as a surprise, given Anthony had featured in every game for Cherries under new boss Andoni Iraola, prior to being let go.

Asked why Sinisterra left Leeds so late in the transfer window, Kinnear told The Square Ball podcast: “The nature of the timing of his departure was purely down to our position that we were refusing to let him go until we could find a replacement.

“Jaidon Anthony had been on our target list right from the start of the window, as a winger that we wanted if any of our wingers were to leave. We presumed one of Jack (Harrison), Willy (Gnonto) or Luis would leave.

“But he seemed to be a central part of Bournemouth’s plans and therefore wasn’t available and we’d kind of given up on him.

“It all came together in the last day. We ended up in a position where we were able to let him (Sinisterra) go because we were swapping a player in Jaidon who really wanted to be here and was excited about joining Leeds and being at the heart of something really successful.

“And we lost a player who didn’t want to be here at all.”