Should you ever sell to a rival side? Leeds United seem to think so

One thing that most football fans will tell you is never sell to your rivals.

Well, unless someone offers you a huge chunk of money for someone who cannot get near your first team – or someone who is desperate to get out of the club, and even then, it never sits well with the home supporters.

That is why it comes as a bit of a shock to see Leeds United willing to consider an approach from Championship rivals Wigan Athletic for Jason Pearce, who despite struggling to get into the first team at times this season, is still a key squad player as the club look to fight against relegation from the league.

Club manager Neil Redfearn is thought to be vehemently against the sale of Pearce, who was told that the club would listen to offers for him come the start of the January window, and you can fully understand why the manager has taken this stance, with Giuseppe Bellusci facing a rather lengthy spell on the sidelines if he is found guilty of racially abusing Cameron Jerome, adding to the selection dilemmas faced by the United manger.

It is a sad turn of events for 27 year old Pearce, who begun the campaign as Leeds skipper but has seen his career go steadily downwards as the season progressed – and Leeds results grew worse.

The club are in trouble, there is no doubt about that, and the loan signing of Sol Bamba could see Pearce limited to even less game time – and the player could well be forgiven for pushing for an exit himself – yet that has not happened.

Owners obviously have a huge say in the way a club is run and who comes in and goes out, but this is one of those times where the manager knows best – it is his head on the chopping block after all, and he who will join the very long line of sacked Leeds managers if they go down – and given Wigan are currently relegation fodder, why on earth would Redfearn want to help them out by sending one of his defenders to the DW Stadium?

Leeds fans. Given Pearce struggles to make the first team, would you be willing to get rid of him this winter? Let us know your thoughts below, become a guest blogger or tweet us @LaFootyettes.