Alan Pardew: “Leon did a great job for me.
“But the thing about Leon is that he needed regular first-team football.
“You can only play a role where you’re in and out of the team for so long.
“I felt it was right for him, and everybody concerned, that he moved on.
“He’s found himself a club where he’ll be playing in the first team, and we all wish him the best of luck.”