Leitao lämnar Walsall i Januari
Ett sorgligt meddelande kommer från Walsall idag då man släppte bomben att Jorge Leitao, en utav legenderna i den nuvarande truppen, lämnar klubben den 7 Januari.
En utav de högst betalda transfersummorna (£150.000) i Walsalls historia tog Jorge Leitao från Feirense i Portugal till Walsall och nästan fem och ett halvt år senare tar sagan slut. Många Walsall supportrar är idag mycket ledsna över att få höra denna nyhet.
Leitao säger själv så här till den officella hemsidan:
"I have had a fantastic time here and made many friends along the way,"
"I have been here for over five years and it has got to the stage where I am homesick and need to go back to Portugal".
"I have talked at length with the Gaffer and he has been very understanding of my situation; I am very grateful to him and everyone at the club".
"I leave with some fantastic memories of my time here like getting promotion at the Millennium Stadium, keeping the club in Division One and those goals at Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup. There have been so many good times and these memories will stay with me forever. The fans have been brilliant to me and I am going to miss them very much."
Leitao har hittils spelat 258 matcher för Walsall och gjort 71 mål.
Paul Merson säger så här om att förlora en av sina bästa spelare:
"I can't be selfish; there is more to life than football and I have to think first and foremost about what is right for Jorge".
"Despite his problems, he has continued to give his all for the cause; if everyone had the same attitude as him it would make my job so much easier. He is a one-off and not many footballers will give you 100% week in, week out like he does".
"He is going to be so difficult to replace, but I couldn't live with myself if I stood in his way at what is a difficult time for him".
Jorge kommer skriva på för portugiskska laget Beira Mar efter återkomsten till sitt hemland.
En sak är säker vi kommer för alltid sakna Jorge Leitao.
