Victor Orta opens up on Leeds United's transfer plans - YEP 7/7/22

The whereabouts of Victor Orta during transfer windows has become a point of fascination for Leeds United fans and a source of amusement for the director of football.

By Graham Smyth

Last month the Spaniard was photographed, not by the press but a fan, in an airport lounge awaiting a flight to Belgium. It has become a routine occurrence and another quirk of the summer for the Whites, akin to new players being spotted and caught on camera as they arrive at Elland Road to sign or new kits being leaked.

This month has been a busy, dizzying one for Orta, and it has not been uncommon for him to visit two countries in a single day in pursuit of the players Leeds have signed after the Kalvin Phillips and potential Raphinha money comes in.

As for Raphinha, he has not been sold but the auction is hotting up. Chelsea have the highest bid in, thanks to their circa £60m offer, and can pay up front.

Barcelona are in the race – Deco has made sure of that – but their ability to not only match Chelsea but hand over the cash straight away, remains questionable.

Agreeing personal terms with the player months ago was all well and good but it’s Leeds they most urgently need to agree with.

As it stands, unless Raphinha decides to settle for a move to Stamford Bridge or his preferred club show Leeds the money, the Brazilian could well find himself on a flight to Australia next weekend.

As Orta told COPE’s Great Match show, Phillips is sold but Raphinha is not.

“This year we have to sell because we’ve spent various years spending money,” Orta explained last month.

“We are going to sell Kalvin and let’s see who else we sell, that’s clear, but we have been capable to sell to keep growing. The first year we were able to come up and spend nearly 90 million straight away – the risk coming up [but] knowing you have parachute payments coming if you go down.”

On Raphinha, Orta explained: “He’s good.

“He has good legs, physically very good, works a lot off the ball. He is an exciting player, and then going forward, he can take on players, get away from players, he’s difficult to play against.

“He’s one of the guys who runs the most in the league. He’s a special player, he’s got similarities to Neymar. He plays well on the wing but runs back much more than Neymar, he defends much more than Neymar.”

Orta, who felt Raphinha’s first season was better than his second with Leeds but credited the player’s effort levels in the relegation battle, joked that presenter Juanma Castaño should get on the phone to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano if he wanted more detailed information on the exact transfer situation.

And although he was happy to reveal that he was speaking from Italy, he kept his exact location to himself.

“I’m in Italy,” he said. “They take pictures of me in the airports. Seriously! It’s funny.

“I’m not going to tell you what city I am in – if I say it to you then they’ll say ‘what’s he there for?’”

Orta is out there right now, somewhere, selling Leeds to who he believes are good players. His mounting air miles will count for something if the recent deals for the likes of Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra bear fruit.