Leeds United fans do not have fond memories of Victor Orta’s transfer policy in hindsight, after a string of costly mistakes contributed to the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
Having pulled off several early masterstrokes, including the decision to bring Marcelo Bielsa to Leeds, former Sporting Director Victor Orta was not a popular figure by the time he left the club in 2023.
Despite bringing firm fan favourites such as Raphinha, Gjanni Alioski and Dan James to the club, Orta’s overall legacy is not perceived well, as he struggled to find the players Leeds needed to keep them in the top flight.
The final wave of players that Orta brought to Elland Road shows why he fell out of favour with fans, with the likes of Weston McKennie, Max Wober and Marc Roca all struggling to make an impact during their time at Leeds.
However, Orta’s biggest mistake is arguably his decision not to sign Eberechi Eze when Leeds had the opportunity, as the Palace forward looks set to clinch a big-money move to Arsenal.
Leeds United v Brighton & Hove Albion - Premier League
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Leeds United missed out on signing Eberechi Eze
Everything was rosy in the garden for Orta in the summer of 2020, as Leeds prepared for their first season back in the top flight under Bielsa.
Leeds pursued an aggressive strategy in the market that summer, spending big on Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, and Rodrigo Moreno, along with turning loan deals for Helder Costa and Jack Harrison into permanent signings.
However, according to a report in the Mirror from August 2020, Leeds also considered a move for rising QPR star, Eze. QPR were resigned to losing the attacking midfielder, and Palace had failed with an opening bid of £10 million.
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The sting in the tail for Leeds fans comes in the paragraph which states: “[Leeds] have already committed to spend over £25million this summer and do not want to pay £20million for Eze after just one good season in the Championship.”
Eze has gone on to prove himself at the top level in the Premier League, and now looks set to complete a mega-money switch to Arsenal.
Although no Sporting Director will get every signing right, Leeds’ decision not to pursue a deal for Eze now looks like a particularly bad call, with Leeds missing out on several years with a quality player and a lucrative future player sale.
Eberechi Eze in action during Chelsea v Crystal Palace - Premier League
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Orta’s last 10 Leeds signings proved to be his downfall
Although time can make fools of us all, Orta will almost certainly look back on the end of his time at Leeds with a pang of regret, after the momentum of their glorious Premier League return was lost.
When Leeds brought in Raphinha for a bargain fee of around £18 million, Orta was heralded as a transfer savant, but the return on his investments diminished significantly from that point onwards.
Orta’s final 10 signings at Leeds are a rogues’ gallery of transfer mistakes, with only a handful of notable exceptions.
Victor Orta’s last 10 Leeds signings: (Source – Yorkshire Evening Post)
Kristoffer Klaesson
Willy Gnonto
Marc Roca
Max Wober
Rasmus Kristiansen
Tyler Adams
Luis Sinisterra
Brenden Aaronson
Joel Robles
Georgino Rutter
With Pablo Hernandez’s career coming to an impromptu end in Leeds’ first year back in the top flight, the Whites could have benefited from another option in attack. It is hard to argue that Eze would not have been an improvement on the majority of Orta’s Premier League signings.