Victor Orta’s transfer howler could ‘come back to haunt Leeds United’ vs Arsenal
Victor Orta departed Leeds in 2023, but his failures are still having an effect.
Leeds United travel to Emirates Stadium this Saturday, off the back of a 1-0 win against Everton at Elland Road on the opening day.
Daniel Farke will be well aware of the task ahead, given the fact that Leeds haven’t won against the Gunners since 2003, when Ian Harte and Harry Kewell scored in a 3-2 victory.
However, one man in particular will be looking to have an impact on Saturday’s encounter, and it will make Leeds fans think even less of Orta.
Viktor Gyokeres could have been a Leeds player
Viktor Gyokeres joined Arsenal from Sporting this summer in a deal worth around £55million, and while his debut left a lot to be desired, he is still going to be a huge problem for Leeds.
Gyokeres’ record at Sporting
- 102 appearances
- 97 goals
- 26 assists
The Swedish international had a remarkable few years in Portugal, and made the move to the Premier League with high hopes, though it could have been very different.
That is because Leeds had the opportunity to sign Gyokeres before his move to Sporting, but Orta refused to pay the £11.7m fee that was required by Coventry City.
In quotes reported by Record in November 2024, Orta said: “When I was at Leeds United, I didn’t want to give £11.7m for him.
“Cases like Gyokeres’ are the good surprises that football gives us, those things that we can’t measure.”
Anyone who had watched Gyokeres in the Championship knew he was going to be special, and yet Orta opted to sign Georginio Rutter instead.
It is a decision that could now come back to haunt Leeds this weekend.
Who else have Leeds failed to sign in the past?
Gyokeres is just one of several big names who could have been a Leeds player, but for one reason or another, transfers failed to happen.
Frank Lampard isn’t popular at Leeds after the spygate controversy, but back in 2001, the Whites looked into a deal to sign the Englishman.
£10m had been put aside to try and conclude a deal, but Lampard instead went on to join Chelsea, and the rest is history.
Other names include Duncan Ferguson, Mark van Bommel and Dutch superstar Ruud van Nistelrooy, who was said to be a Leeds target before his move to Man United.
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