View: Leeds dodge huge bullet as Cuisance shortlisted for flop signing of season

Leeds United will be celebrating not signing Michael Cuisance last summer as the midfielder has been nominated for Ligue 1 flop signing of the year.

The Whites were desperately pursuing signing a midfielder last summer and Cuisance was on Marcelo Bielsa's shortlist.

A deal was agreed between Leeds and Bayern which was in the region of £20m [The Athletic], and Cuisance was also keen on the move.

However, the player then failed a medical at Leeds, and the deal was off - sending the player back to Germany.

Fabrizio Romano had also reported that there were problems in the finances behind the deal.

He was still pursuing an exit and took the chance to jump ship when Ligue 1 side Marseille came calling, signing for them on loan.

The move to France hasn't paid off as he now finds himself with three other players on Get Football News France's shortlist of the Ligue 1 Flop Signing of the Year.

All for the best

Our chance for a midfielder last summer was a horrendous one as after Cuisance's failed medical, we failed to complete Rodrigo de Paul's signing either.

There's no guaranteeing that Cuisance would've flopped at Elland Road, but £20m is a big amount for us, and to put that into perspective, we managed to secure Raphinha's signing for a similar fee and that's worked out supremely well for us.

There were apprehensions about Cuisance's fitness and he may not have been the best for Bielsa's side.

This season in Ligue 1, he's played in just 23 games, with former manager Andres Villas-Boas preferring to play the likes of Pape Gueye and Boubacar Kamara ahead of him.

However, it looks like new manager Jorge Sampaoli will be giving Cuisance a second chance and there are reports of the club signing him permanently. [Bavarian Football Works]

It's important that we get a midfield signing over the line this summer as it's been one of the few positions where there's been a lot of chopping and changing.

In other Leeds United news, Paul Merson left with egg on face after big Leeds claim blown out of the water