Massimo Cellino signing with one appearance was another laughable flop — View — Football League World 12/5/24
BY HAMISH WOODWARD
The signing of Zan Benedicic by Leeds United in 2014 had
promise, but turned out to be another flop transfer.
Leeds' loan deal for Zan Benedicic was a major flop, leading
to his career spiraling down quickly.
Despite high hopes and potential, Benedicic only played one
Championship game for Leeds.
Benedicic suffered a knee injury after his lone appearance,
and never fulfilled the promise once seen in him.
Massimo Cellino spent three years as the owner of Leeds
United, and signed a number of flops during this time. However, very few were
as laughably disappointing as the loan deal for Zan Benedicic.
Leeds went through six managers in three years with Cellino
at the helm, and the club brought in 26 different players on permanent deals in
order to cement their return to the Premier League after a decade away.
This also included a hefty number of loan deals from
different clubs all over Europe. This included one move in 2014 from Serie A, a
league which Cellino knew very well from his time as the owner of Cagliari in
Italy.
In the summer of 2014, Leeds signed one of the most
impressive young players at Italian giants AC Milan. Young midfielder Benedicic
had impressed for the Milan youth teams leading up to the season, and even
earned himself a spot on the club's pre-season tour.
Then only 18 years old, he had a bright future at the club.
He was already capped by the Slovenia under-21 side at the time, with a single
goal to his name in 2013 against Bulgaria. If he impressed in the first team
somewhere, then there was a good chance the midfielder would eventually find
himself called up to the senior squad.
Benedicic joined Leeds in August 2014, before he made his
debut for AC Milan. He was one of 19 different signings to join the club that
season, which included EFL legends like Billy Sharp, Sol Bamba and Liam Cooper.
However, the Milan midfielder came in with high hopes, as then manager David
Hockaday described him as having huge "potential".
“Zan is a versatile, strong and technical midfield player.
He has massive potential and comes highly recommended by AC Milan,” he told
Leeds' website after signing the youngster.
Despite signing on a season-long loan, the Slovenian's
career at Leeds ended much, much sooner than he ever would have imagined.
Despite showing good promise before signing for Leeds,
Benedicic's spell at the club went wrong almost immediately. The midfielder
managed a single league appearance at Elland Road, as he failed to gain
first-team experience on loan in England that season. The Slovenian's debut for
Leeds came in the League Cup, where he came on for 24 minutes against
Accrington Stanley. He failed to impact the game at all
His sole league match for Leeds came two weeks later.
Benedicic's league debut came in a home match against Bolton Wanderers on
August 30th, 2014 under Neil Redfearn. He was an unused sub for the club's
Championship opener against Millwall under Hockaday, but was actually given
time on the pitch at Elland Road against The Trotters. The Slovenian came off
the bench in the 78th minute, replacing Casper Sloth in the centre of midfield.
He managed to help the Yorkshire side hold onto their lead, and take home all
three points on his first Championship appearance.
But it was also his last. Shortly after the match, a
miniscus injury would put Benedicic on the injury table.