Leeds United missed out on Leonardo Pavoletti in 2015 – but now could be the perfect time to make the Championship sit up and take notice.
Every club has their very own ‘one that got away’, from Burnley and Michael Essien to Arsenal and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, via Tottenham Hotspur and nine tenths of the footballing world during the era of Harry Redknapp.
For Leeds United, hindsight does not reflect well on their failure to land a little known Sassuolo forward by the name of Leonardo Pavoletti for a fee of just £3 million in January 2015, as reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Because, after joining Genoa just six months later, Pavoletti transformed from a nomadic, lower league journeyman into one of Serie A’s most feared hitmen. He plundered 23 goals in 44 games for Genoa, earning an £11 million move to Napoli in January (Football Italia).
Therefore, Leeds’ hopes of dancing to Pavoletti’s tune appeared to have passed them by. However, the events of the last few days may give rise to hope that a seemingly impossible deal could become, well, possible.
Two years on, £8m more expensive
It’s fair to say his prolific purple patch at Genoa didn’t exactly continue at the Stadio San Paolo but, with just two Serie A starts in five months, his barren run is more down to a lack of opportunities rather than a dramatic loss of form.
And Leeds may have to break their transfer record, set when they landed Robbie Fowler from Liverpool in 2001, though they now have £15 million burning a hole in their back pocket following Chris Wood’s move to Burnley, as reported by the BBC.
Leeds face a daunting task replacing their talismanic forward but Pavoletti, renowned for his strength in the air and physicality, could ensure the fans forget about Wood fairly quickly.
It would be a major coup if Leeds manage to convince Pavoletti to move to England’s second tier but, with the league growing in popularity across Europe, stranger things have happened.
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