Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani has said that while a deal to sign Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven was all but official, Louis van Gaal played a major role in the transfer not coming to fruition.
Eventually, the Dutch forward ended up signing for Liverpool for £35 million (Sky Sports) in the January transfer window. The 23-year-old has struggled since joining the Reds, with pundits such as Jamie Carragher, Tim Sherwood and Stan Collymore criticising the move.
However, Cody Gakpo could perhaps have been donning a Leeds kit, if not for Louis van Gaal, according to Andrea Radrizzani.
Andrea Radrizzani names Louis Van Gaal as the culprit behind Leeds missing out on Cody Gakpo
The Whites certainly could have done with the ‘sharp’ forward, considering they have not found scoring goals easy this season.
Andrea Radrizzani, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano detailed just how close Leeds were to signing Cody Gakpo and how Louis van Gaal stopped the move from going through.
“We were so close to sign Cody Gakpo. It was done on August Deadline Day, done with PSV too. Then it collapsed because of Van Gaal. Van Gaal called Gakpo and told him to wait for because of the World Cup…then he joined Liverpool.”
Gakpo would have struggled at Elland Road
While some Leeds fans may be irate at Louis van Gaal after Andrea Radrizzani has revealed that it was him that stopped Cody Gakpo from joining the side, the truth remains that he would have struggled.
With the side lacking a true creative presence to supply the ex-PSV man with not just chances but enough of the ball to make a difference coupled with injury woes in the squad and the managerial uncertainty are factors that may have held him back.
While there is no disputing Gakpo’s quality, it was perhaps best for both parties to move in separate directions.
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