Leeds only wanted loan for Emi Buendia despite him being for sale, he is now on fire at Aston Villa
Leeds United’s summer transfer window drew mixed reactions ahead of their battle to stay in the Premier League.
In the summer, Leeds spent over £100million on players deemed good enough to keep Daniel Farke‘s side in the Premier League.
Noah Okafor has been great for Leeds, but other signings like Jaka Bijol and Sebastiaan Bornauw have been questioned.
Paraag Marathe and Leeds face an ongoing battle with PSR, and with that, they may have missed out on some top targets.
Leeds were interested in Emi Buendia in the summer, but recent reports suggest Marathe may have been on a tight budget when it came to signing the Argentinian forward.
Leeds will regret not using their budget to secure Emi Buendia
There’s no doubt that Leeds will have been limited to what they could spend in the summer, but regardless, a lot of money was spent.
The Daily Mail has revealed information regarding Leeds’ pursuit of Buendia in their print edition on 20 October, after he scored the winner for Aston Villa at Tottenham on Sunday.
“Injuries have devastated his [Buendia’s] Villa career, and [Unai] Emery was looking to sell him before the start of the season to raise funds.
“Leeds and Stuttgart were only interested in a loan, which had little appeal for Villa.
| Games | Goals | Assists |
| 10 | 3 | 1 |
“In the end, Emery opted to keep him in the squad. Suddenly, it looks like a wise move.”
While it’s understandable that Leeds may have also only wanted Buendia on loan due to his injury record, the Whites should have set funds aside to take a gamble on the forward if they wanted him that badly.
Leeds were beaten 2-0 by Burnley on Saturday, and struggled to create without Okafor, as Buendia now emerges as another opportunity missed.
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Leeds lack quality up front
Dan James has suffered with injuries so far this season, but there have always been question marks over the Welshman’s ability to perform in the Premier League.
With Okafor injured, Jack Harrison was given a chance for Leeds, in what could have been his final opportunity to impress Farke.
Leeds created plenty of opportunities against Burnley, but lacked the quality to convert, with Brenden Aaronson the main culprit for that.
As time goes on, not signing Buendia may prove to be one of Leeds’ most costly mistakes of the season.
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