Agent warns Leeds of Dacourt exit

LEEDS have been warned Olivier Dacourt could be on his way out of Elland Road in the new year after finding himself out in the cold under Terry Venables.

Despite travelling with the rest of the squad to Villa Park, Dacourt was not even on the bench for yesterday's goalless draw against Aston Villa.

Dacourt was also not required for the return leg of Leeds' UEFA Cup first-round tie against Metalurg Zaporizhya last Thursday. The midfielder found out he was to be an unused sub only hours after finally earning a recall to the France squad.

The 27-year-old, clearly upset at his recent omission from the side, returns to his homeland for the next 10 days.

Throughout the summer Dacourt was linked with moves to Lazio, Juventus and Arsenal, which led to him watching from the sidelines in the early part of the season as there was no guarantee he would be around once the transfer window closed.

Once the prospect of a move for four months at least disappeared, Leeds manager Venables was able to call on Dacourt, describing him as "a very influential member of the team" after wins at Newcastle and at home to Manchester United.

Such performances have clearly led to his return to the France squad for the first time in 21 months for the Euro 2004 qualifiers against Slovenia and Malta, although he has not been seen on the pitch since his withdrawal at half-time in the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.

Venables claimed yesterday Dacourt did not play because he "had enough midfielders on the pitch to change things if required".

While understandably happy with the international call-up, Dacourt is certainly not enamoured with his current position at Leeds., despite being ''fit and ready to go.''

"I don't want to talk about why I'm not in the Leeds team," he said.

"I'm just glad to be back in the France squad. It's a good thing for me to go away for a while because it's a difficult time at Leeds, so it's good news to be called up and going away.

"You are always surprised, but I've been expecting it for the last two years. The last time I was in the squad was in the Confederations Cup (January 2001) but there has been nothing since then, although now I am very pleased to be back.

"I think it shows I must be doing something right to get the call-up, but not everybody seems to have the same opinion."

The sudden about-turn in the situation has come as not only a surprise to Dacourt, but also his agent, Bruno Satin, said they will have to reconsider their position regarding a move if he the player continues to be a spectator.

"If Leeds need money and they want to put him on the market then the best thing is to play him every week," said Satin, who has knocked back the most recent link with Roma.

"I can understand why Venables didn't play him before the transfer window closed because there was still a chance for him to be transferred. When he did come back, he was excellent against Newcastle and Manchester United.

"I know Venables has plenty of midfielders, but I don't think they are the same standard as Olly. Maybe Venables thinks he can play better without Olly.

"But you must be a top player to be selected for the France squad. A lot depends on your club and whether you are in the Champions League. Leeds are not, so it shows how well he has done to be selected.

"He now has a chance to play against Slovenia and because Olly is strong he will not worry about what is happening at Leeds."