for the former England international to leave the club soon after. McCormack made his league debut on the opening day of the season in a 2–1 victory over Southampton and went on to score his first competitive goal for Cardiff in a 1–1 draw against Doncaster the following week. He finished the season as the club's top scorer with 23 goals in all competitions and joint second place Championship top scorer. His final goals of the season in a 3–1 win over Burnley were the last goals scored at Ninian Park by a Cardiff player in a competitive match. On 23 July 2009 it was reported McCormack handed in a transfer request. This was denied by his agent who claimed that there is a 'gentleman's agreement' in his contract that stipulates that he can speak to any Premier League club who bid for his services. Amidst interest from Premier League clubs, on 8 August he was involved in three goals of a 4–0 win over Scunthorpe United in the first match at the Cardiff City Stadium. Leeds United On 24 August 2010, Cardiff agreed a fee with Leeds United over a possible transfer, and three days later he signed a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his Leeds debut on 28 August as a 70th-minute substitute in a 1–0 win over Watford, and his first start in a 0–0 draw with Doncaster Rovers on 17 September. On 30 April 2011, he scored his first goal for Leeds in a 1–0 win over Burnley, and was named man of the match. His only other goal of the campaign was in Leeds' 2–1 win over champions Queens Park Rangers in the final game of the season. With two goals in a 3–3 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on 23 September 2011, including an injury-time equaliser, McCormack became the first Leeds player in over 50 years to score in six consecutive league games. He was nominated for the Championship Player of the Month Award for September, which went to Middlesbrough's Matthew Bates. He was linked with a move to Wolves during November, but manager Simon Grayson stated that he did not want to sell McCormack. During December, he was linked with moves to Premier League clubs Blackburn Rovers and Wolves again. In April 2012, Leeds were in negotiations with McCormack over extending his current deal. He finished the season as