Leeds United’s attempts to strengthen in midfield saw them miss out on two reported targets to Sunderland, Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki.
One of the ongoing narratives of the summer window in the Premier League is how Leeds and Sunderland are building to stay in the division next season, and how their transfer activity has crossed over a handful of times already.
It’s not uncommon to see promoted clubs shoved together when ‘linked’ with players, perhaps an agent ploy to generate interest in their client, but Leeds had public interest and offers for players that ended up heading to the Stadium of Light for higher fees not long after.
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Noah Sadiki joins Sunderland for £17m after Leeds United’s interest
Having seen a £21.9million bid for Habib Diarra blown out of the water by the Black Cats, who signed the Strasbourg skipper for £30million instead, another midfield alternative also headed to the North East.
Union SG talent Noah Sadiki was an option also featuring high on Leeds’ shortlist to strengthen the midfield, but joined Diarra in Regis Le Bris’ squad for a reported £15million sum.
(REUTERS/Russell Cheyne)
The seriousness of Leeds’ interest is hard to pin down, with contrasting reports saying various things, but what is clear is that the Whites simply just didn’t pay as much as Sunderland did to get the deal over the line, just like Diarra.
Now, the midfielder himself has discussed how his move to Wearside came about, sharing that there was an offer from Elland Road:
“The name of Wolfsburg made the rounds, but I never spoke to the board of that club,” Sadiki told Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad.
“Actually, I only talked to the people from Sunderland, Frankfurt and Leeds, who had also made an offer. My choice for Sunderland is also a kind of bet with myself. I want to know how it feels to play in the best league in the world and see where I stand against better teams.”
Leeds United set to move on with new midfield signings this month
Diarra and Sadiki would have been good signings for Leeds, as they actually are for Sunderland, but they’re not the only talented midfielders out there.
Leeds clearly didn’t see fit to spend that money on them, while Sunderland did value them that highly, and there’s no real right or wrong answer on how much these players are truly ‘worth’.
Meanwhile, it looks as though Leeds are going down a different route with their signings, investing in players with much more experience under their belts, and there’s merit to both arguments.
What we do know is that the club are going to respond to ‘missing out’ on both of these players by making signings throughout July.
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