Leeds United have found a temporary solution to their pitch woes - thanks to some help from Tottenham Hotspur. The surface at Elland Road has come in for heavy criticism of late, with Aston Villa star Jack Grealish among those to take aim.
Officials at Marcelo Bielsa's promoted side had planned to install a new one over the summer, but the shortened turnaround thanks to the Covid pandemic meant that they did not have enough time to do so.
As a result, they have had to persist with the original, but recent weather conditions have caused further issues.
Leeds have been searching for solutions. And they have now agreed a deal with a turf farm company to bring in a new pitch, which had been earmarked for Spurs. Thanks to a lack of NFL fixtures this season at Tottenham's new stadium, the north London club has agreed to instead let the surface head to Yorkshire.
Leeds have begun ripping up their current pitch on Friday, ahead of the new surface's arrival on Saturday and it will be in place for their next home match with Everton on February 3.
The operation is understood to have cost around £300,000 and it is hoped will get them through until the end of the season when a new drainage system and pitch will be installed.
Leeds head of facilities Mark Broadley said: 'We have been working closely with Hewitt Sportsturf on a proposal to fully reconstruct the Elland Road pitch this summer.
'However, after the recent heavy rainfall and snow in Leeds, it became evident that the current system was unable to cope and as a result was struggling to retain sufficient stability in the top surface.
'We reviewed all options available and agreed the best possible solution was to remove the top surface and install the hybrid turf system HT Pro as seen at Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City.'
Source: m.allfootballapp.com