The Leeds United recruitment team, led by sporting director Adam Underwood, must be feeling vindicated by the choices they made following a solid start to life in the Premier League, especially with several of their new signings proving their mettle.
However, they faced some serious criticism during and at the end of the transfer window. The club’s failure to land Harry Wilson made them seem like clutching at straws as the hours passed by on the final day of the window.
Underwood and his team also faced fierce criticism for missing out on a couple of big transfers to Sunderland early in the window, where they failed to match the money the Blak Cats offered.
They had identified Habib Diarra as one of their top midfield targets. However, they refused to match Sunderland’s £30m and he moved to the Stadium of Light instead of Elland Road.
However, the failure to land Diarra proved to be the biggest turning point of the summer.
Sean Longstaff was Habib Diarra’s alternative for Leeds United
If Diarra had joined Leeds, the club would not have made the move for Longstaff, who came at half the Sengalese’s price, and the season could have looked different.
The former Newcastle midfielder has wasted little time in establishing himself as the midfield mainstay for Leeds this season and scored his first goal against Bournemouth in the 2-2 draw at Elland Road.
He has added Premier League experience and physicality to the Leeds team, which Andoni Iraola admitted his Bournemouth side could not handle on Saturday.
Daniel Farke has insisted that Longstaff is now one of the leaders of the group, and he plays like one in the middle of the park.
Longstaff has also added to his attacking game and created seven chances while winning ten one-on-one duels against Bournemouth.
It is now hard to imagine the Leeds midfield without his physical presence, and he has raised the quality of the team in an instant.
However, all this would not have happened if Diarra hadn’t joined Sunderland, which was deemed a transfer disaster for Leeds at that time.
Diarra’s injury makes Longstaff look like an even better signing for Leeds
While Longstaff is dominating Premier League midfields in the Leeds colours, Diarra is currently out injured for Sunderland.
The Senegalese midfielder will not be fit to play until December, and he may not feature for the Black Cats until January, as he will be going away for the African Cup of Nations.
Leeds have avoided a mini transfer disaster by not signing Diarra, and Longstaff has been one of the best signings for the Whites this summer.
Can you name these 10 former Leeds United goalkeepers?
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