Leeds United banked £20million for the sale of Luis Sinisterra to Bournemouth back in 2024, but the Colombian hasn’t made the most of his eagerness to ditch Elland Road.
Leeds are back in the Premier League and their campaign kicks off with a home clash against Everton, while there will be eyes on a number of bubbling narratives for United to rekindle with the rest of the division.
There’s reunions aplenty to look forward to, some more feel-good than others such as Archie Gray or James Milner, while others don’t provoke the same positive emotion – such as Bournemouth after events in the summer of 2023.
Most Read on LeedsAllOver
Leeds United hope for revenge after Bournemouth’s controversial swoops for Tyler Adams, Luis Sinisterra
Back when Daniel Farke was piecing together a promotion-worthy squad in his first window at Elland Road, Bournemouth were one of the sides looking to pick off some of the players with relegation clauses in their contract.
The two they pursued were midfielder Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra, who both reportedly threatened the club with legal action in order to push through moves to the South Coast.
(REUTERS/Chris Radburn)
Deals were agreed with Adams joining the Cherries permanently, while Sinisterra had to wait until the 11th hour of deadline day to complete a loan exit with an option to buy, as Jaidon Anthony moved the other way.
Sinisterra’s insistence to leave the Championship for a Premier League opportunity under Andoni Iraola saw him then complete a £20million permanent move ahead of the 2024 summer window, ensuring Leeds broke even on the injury-prone winger signed from Feyenoord.
Bournemouth poked fun at United during the saga as Sinisterra put pen to paper on a transfer, indicating he wasn’t happy in West Yorkshire:
Leeds United get last laugh on unsavoury Luis Sinisterra saga as Bournemouth sanction Brazil loan
Angus Kinnear featured on The Square Ball podcast not long after Sinisterra’s initial loan to Bournemouth and stated that he wouldn’t want the Colombian back at the club after his antics during the window just gone:
“I think there are players who had the discussions and did the right things and did them in a timely manner and then I think there were players who were perhaps led by their agents to employ tactics which will mean they’re not on our Christmas card list.”
Bournemouth supporters were quick to gloat as Sinisterra joined their club, but the same injury issues have stopped him from having a meaningful impact in the Cherries ongoing progression towards being contenders for European football – his injuries at the Vitality Stadium saw him miss a combined 36 games in two seasons, absent for a total of 297 days.
Now, Sinisterra is heading to Brazilian Serie A side Cruzeiro on loan with an option to buy, highlighting his decline after jumping ship from Elland Road – per Alex Crook:
Leeds United pulled a blinder cashing in on Luis Sinisterra in hindsight
As good as Crysencio Summerville was in the 23/24 season, having Sinisterra in the squad and keeping him fit would have bridged the gap to the top two.
He was that good, and showed it in our 4-3 win away at Ipswich just days before he left, but alas, we’ve come out of this situation laughing as we got our money back for a player who hasn’t been able to prove his potential as a quality winger.
His injuries have been prevalent since joining us in the summer of 2022, facing a setback in pre-season and never managing any consistent runs of games ever since for two separate clubs.
While he won’t be present at Elland Road, you have to wonder what reception Adams gets when the Cherries rock up in LS11.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!