Helder Costa heads to Saudi Arabia in yet another loan move - Yorkshire Post 7/8/22

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Leeds United winger Helder Costa has moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad on loan until the end of the season.

By Stuart Rayner

This is the second season-long loan of a contract which expires at the end of next term, and it seems unlikely Costa will play for the Whites again. The Saudis are thought to have the option to make it permanent.

The Angolan spent last season playing for Valencia, but the Spanish side failed to make the deal permanent despite 28 La Liga appearances last season. He did not find the net but provided two assists.

Al-Ittihad are managed by Nuno Espirito Santo, the 28-year-old's manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Costa's Leeds career has followed the path of his time at Molineux - an important figure in the Championship not fully trusted as a Premier League regular.

Loans have also been a huge factor in his time as a professional.

Costa made 79 appearances in his first two seasons at Wolves, the first six months of which were spent on loan from Monaco, and helped the Midlands side to win the second-tier title in 2018.

But he only made 16 starts in the Premier League, and found himself loaned to Leeds the following season.

He started 33 in another Championship-winning campaign but when the move was made permanent, he made just 13 further league starts for the Whites.

This season Leeds have signed Luis Sinisterra and although fellow summer signing Brenden Aaronson is not a classical winger in the sense of Sinisterra and Costa, his performance against Wolves on debut plus his previous links to Jesse Marsch point to him being a key figure in 2022-23.

Costa came through Benfica's youth system but made his league debut on loan at Deportivo La Coruna.

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