Grayson: Win-win for Beckford

Posted Sunday, January 24, 2010 by PA

Leeds manager Simon Grayson has challenged Jermaine Beckford to use the rest of the season to earn the biggest move from Elland Road possible after putting himself in the limelight again with more FA Cup heroics.

Beckford, after his last-gasp penalty earned a fourth-round replay against Tottenham, grabbed the headlines again with his two equalisers at White Hart Lane, adding to his winner against Manchester United in the previous round.

The 26-year-old is out of contract in the summer and Everton are thought to be leading the race to secure his signature - but Grayson said: "It would have to be a lot of money because we have turned down decent money already for him. Jermaine wants to stay and finish the job off."

He added: "If someone comes in with ridiculous money - and I'm talking a lot more than £2million - then we'd look at it again. But I've got no intention of selling him in the window because it's too late to get a replacement and he's too valuable to lose.

"I have said all along I would rather Jermaine leave on a free and I wish him well because hopefully in that meantime he's got us promoted.

"Jermaine can only win because if he scores 15 to 20 goals until the end of the season he will be linked with bigger clubs than he's being linked with now."

Grayson will also make an attempt to retain the striker, who prodded home to equalise after Peter Crouch's opener, then cancelled out Roman Pavlyuchenko's strike by earning a penalty in the 95th minute which he converted.

"There's still an opportunity he might stay beyond the summer," added the Leeds boss. "There have been a lot of twists and turns already. He put a request in after the Manchester United game and has come off the list now. He can leave in the summer if that's his choice."

The other hero for Leeds was goalkeeper Casper Ankergren, who saved Jermain Defoe's penalty in the first half.

The Dane played down the plaudits, saying: "I don't think too much, I just try to guess. You have to guess, you have to be lucky. You have to do the right thing, look at him, and I was lucky and I saved the penalty."