The £119million Leeds United have squandered on transfers since promotion in 2020 - Planet Football 17/7/23

Nestor Watach

Leeds United were a breath of fresh air when they returned to the Premier League under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020. The club had been out of the top flight for 16 years but finished ninth in their first season back.

But things have gone seriously awry since then and there are serious questions to be asked of the club’s recruitment strategy following their return to the Championship. A number of their high-profile, big-money signings will be plying their trade elsewhere next term.

“We have, of course, already lost a few players and everyone knows about the situation,” new boss Daniel Farke told reporters.

“They went out on loan so we don’t get any money out of this. It’s a situation after relegation. There are a few clauses and we have to accept it. It’s no complaining about this.

“The situation is like it is. We just have to make sure and have to be fully aware this will never happen again in the future.”

We’ve broken down the £119million that Leeds have spent on players that won’t be turning out for the club in the Championship in 2023-24.

Note: we haven’t included any players that might still be included Farke’s squad next term, such as Junior Firpo and Daniel James, questionable signings as they may be.

Brenden Aaronson – £24.7million

Leeds first attempted to sign the USMNT international during the January 2022 transfer window, when Marcelo Bielsa was still at the helm. He eventually arrived six months later, joining Jesse Marsch’s doomed Red Bull-influenced project at Elland Road.

There were some early positive signs – such as scoring the opener in a 3-0 win over Chelsea – but Aaronson ultimately looked hopelessly out of his depth when it came to the physicality of the Premier League. His stock has tumbled dramatically over the course of an unsuccessful debut season at Elland Road.

It looks like a tall order for Leeds to recoup much of their £24.7million outlay on Aaronson’s signature now.

But he’s still only 22, has four years left on his contract, and will have the shop window of Champions League football out on loan with Union Berlin next season. He looks better suited to the Bundesliga and might yet come good.

Rasmus Christensen – £10million

The Denmark international’s lack of nous in possession was ultimately symptomatic of where things went wrong under Marsch. But there’s a certain degree of logic to an old-school, punt-it-forward full-back joining Jose Mourinho at Roma on loan next term. Watch this space.

The 26-year-old remains contracted at Elland Road until 2027 and Leeds need him to be a success at the Stadio Olimpico if they’re to make the £10million fee they paid RB Salzburg look like good business.

Marc Roca – £10million

It might not have worked out, but you could see the thinking behind signing a number of Red Bull alumni (Aaronson, Christensen, Tyler Adams) to join Marsch at Leeds. Roca – a technically-gifted passer that struggles to impose himself out of possession – always looked like a less natural fit.

The Spanish midfielder had his moments but he struggled to show his qualities in a side that never looked to keep the ball. Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis – another loan – looks like the kind of move that should get the best out of him.

A £10million fee doesn’t look disastrous if Roca looks the part in La Liga. Ironically, he might have actually been a decent fit for the possession-focused style demanded by Farke.

It will be interesting to see whether there’s a place for him back at his parent club if they can make it back to the Premier League in his absence.

Jean-Kevin Augustin – £18million

Oh dear. That’s not including the £24.5million the club have been forced to pay Augustin in wages after being found to have breached his contract.

A complete unmitigated disaster.

Robin Koch – £11.5million

Signed to bolster Leeds’ defence following their failure to land Ben White on a permanent deal after getting promoted, Koch arrived with plenty of pedigree – an £11.5million fee for a Germany international looked reasonable enough.

But he spent much of his first two seasons with the club struggling with injuries and unable to nail down a consistent run of starts in the first team. The centre-back was unable to fix Leeds’ defensive failings when finally fit and regularly available.

Leeds have effectively lost Koch on a free, given he’s set to spend the final year of his contract out on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt. A £430,000 loan fee is scant consolation.

Diego Llorente – £18million

Spending £18million on Llorente is one thing. Handing him a contract extension to 2026 after a spell of poor form is another entirely. A few weeks after penning a new deal, he joined Roma on loan and looks set to be a headache for the Leeds hierarchy for a few more years.

The centre-back didn’t play much of a role at Roma in the latter half of last season, but Mourinho evidently likes him. The Portuguese coach gave Llorente his Real Madrid debut back in 2013 and has brought him back to the Italian capital for another stint.

Rodrigo – £27million

The statement signing of Leeds’ post-promotion £100million splurge, Rodrigo arrived from Valencia as Spain’s No.9 with Champions League experience under his belt.

For a long time, the striker struggled to live up to that billing and could never quite cover ground like Bielsa demanded. But few could question his commitment to the cause or work-rate as he played through injury and scored 13 Premier League goals in 2022-23.

He departs with more than a tinge of regret about how things might have gone.

Yet receiving just £3million from Qatari side Al Rayyan is a reminder that signing a younger, developing player with more potential resale value might have been more prudent back in 2020.