'I couldn't care less' - Tyler Adams cuts loose on Leeds United feelings after jumping ship

Hatred from Leeds United fans towards Tyler Adams is something the American could not care less about after his exit last year. The American was among those who had made it clear he wanted to jump ship after relegation in 2023, but had to wait until the latter stages of the window for a transfer to Bournemouth.

The 25-year-old had been among the best performers in a weak Leeds side during that relegation campaign, but suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the crucial run-in. Despite turning his back on the club after the drop, Adams insists he maintains a link to the city’s people.

“It's a team and a city built off hard work, it's blue-collar,” he told Mail Online. “I resonate with those fans unbelievably well to this day. Whether they say they hate me or not, I couldn't care less.”

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Reflecting on his time at Elland Road, Adams feels guilty about the way it all ended for compatriot Weston McKennie. The Juventus loanee faced vocal, lasting criticism from the terraces for his meek performances in a side heading for the drop under Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce.

Adams blames himself for getting injured and allowing McKennie to become the lightning rod for all of the fans’ frustrations. He said: “I got injured [and] it blew up in his face. It was incredibly hard for me. I feel in a way I let him down.”

When Jesse Marsch was sacked in February last year, the Whites were 17th in the Premier League. Leeds were outside of the drop zone with a game in hand on goal difference, but had won two of their previous 17 matches across more than five months, either side of a World Cup.

Adams, who was brought through at New York Red Bulls by Marsch, said: “We were actually in a good position when Jesse got fired. I thought if we just continued the way we were going, we would have stayed up.”

In speaking more broadly about his decision to move to England in 2022, Adams said: “It was a no-brainer. I honestly didn't really know what I was getting myself into.

“When things are going really [well at Leeds], it's amazing, the best thing ever, but when things aren't going well.” Adams’s quote drifts off that stage in the interview.