Leeds United winger Ian Poveda has completed a deadline day move to fellow Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, who he joins on a season-long loan.
Interest in Poveda emerged late in the January transfer window, and came as some surprise due to the fact that Leeds manager Daniel Farke claimed that there would be no further outgoings from within his squad in his Bristol City pre-match press conference yesterday.
Initially it was both Birmingham City and Wednesday who had reportedly made approaches for the Colombian winger, yet it was the Whites’ Yorkshire rivals the Owls who eventually won the race.
The deal effectively brings to an end Poveda’s time at Elland Road as his contract with Leeds expires in the summer.
“Leeds United can confirm Ian Poveda has joined fellow Sky Bet Championship side Sheffield Wednesday, on loan until the end of the season,” a Leeds statement read.
“Everyone at Leeds United would like to wish Ian the best of luck during his time at Hillsborough.”
How did Poveda do whilst at Leeds?
Poveda joined Leeds in January of 2020 from Premier League giants Manchester City and arrived at Elland Road as a player who carried significant promise. And whilst there have been flashes of ability from the winger – especially towards the beginning of his time in West Yorkshire and more recently in this term’s pre-season matches – they have been too few and far between to deem his Leeds career a success.
Since signing for the Whites Poveda has made just 30 appearances, a sign that he repeatedly struggled to break into the starting XI of any manager with any degree of consistency. Loan spells at both Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool allowed the 23-year-old to demonstrate more of his ability at Championship level, yet things just never seemed to work out for him at his parent club.
A move which suits all parties
Poveda, whilst definitely talented, was always going to struggle to make his mark on the wing at Leeds given the quality of the players ahead of him in the pecking order. It was always going to be difficult to displace figures of the calibre of Raphinha, Luis Sinisterra, and Willy Gnonto – and with both Dan James and Crysencio Summerville flourishing out wide this season – breaking into Farke’s starting XI was realistically a near-impossibility.
He is far more likely to get playing time at Sheffield Wednesday as they battle against Championship relegation, and he will no doubt provide a significant boost to their survival hopes.
For Leeds, shedding a player who was never going to quite make it at the club has to be seen as a positive, and may provide the opportunity to other younger fringe players to be handed minutes to aid in their own development.
