It’s been claimed this week that Leeds United had an audacious look at Paris Saint-Germain’s double Champions League winner Jese Rodriguez during the last January transfer window.
With manager Marcelo Bielsa and the club clearly on the lookout for a wide attacker, we saw strong links to Swansea City’s Daniel James, who was with us on deadline day until some shenanigans put an end to his move, and we were also heavily linked with Bristol City’s Callum O’Dowda as a possible back up.
Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast this week, Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay admitted we had set our sights quite high when it came to the chase for the Spanish youth international but despite interest, it was a deal that didn’t get off the ground for us.
“Leeds did look at other wingers in the January transfer window. Steven Zuber at Hoffenheim, who I don’t think Bielsa was 100% sold on. Callum O’Dowda at Bristol City who was seen as the back-up to Dan James. Interesting one was Jese, Spanish midfielder at PSG, again someone they looked at but it didn’t get off the ground and I think Bielsa was already convinced that James was the man they were going for.”
Despite falling out of favour at the Santiago Bernabeu after his European success and making the switch to PSG – he has subsequently spent time with Las Palmas, Stoke City and is now with Real Betis – wages alone would’ve made such a move prohibitive but I imagine plenty of fans will have been delighted that we even harboured those ambitions given we are in the Championship.
I don’t see any way that it could’ve come off, but with promotion hopes, letting players of that calibre know we have an interest in them, could work in our favour down the line if we attempt to rekindle efforts and undoubtedly somebody like Bielsa could more than get him back on track given his huge early promise.