Could Leeds rue agreeing option in Yosuke Ideguchi loan?

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Leeds United loaned Yosuke Ideguchi out to Germany’s second tier in a deal that apparently includes an option to buy.

Amongst the least surprising deals that Leeds agreed over the summer was the loan move that saw Yosuke Ideguchi leave Elland Road for German second tier side Greuther Furth following a disappointing start to life on the Whites’ books.

Ideguchi joined the Whites in January but was immediately loaned out to Cultural Leonesa. Unfortunately for the Japan international, his spell in Spain ended any hope of the midfielder going to the World Cup in Russia.

There were some opportunities to impress Marcelo Bielsa in pre-season, but Leeds fans would be forgiven for expecting that Ideguchi’s Whites career is over without a competitive appearance under his belt after he headed to Germany on a season-long loan that the club confirmed could be converted into a permanent deal.

But after only one appearance for his new side, perhaps it may be fair to suggest that Leeds may end up slightly ruing the decision to include the permanent option in the deal.

Ideguchi scored in the 4-1 win over Holstein Kiel at the weekend. It will have provided a little reminder as to why Leeds decided to bring him to the club in the first place.

One excellent performance will not make a huge difference, but the display highlights how there is the potential for the 22-year-old to get his career back on track. It is easy to forget that he seemed to be one of the most exciting prospects in Asia before he headed to the Championship, so there is definitely a player there.

And if his debut is a sign of what is to come, then perhaps Leeds will end up slightly annoyed with themselves that they did agree the permanent clause as it would be a surprise if Greuther Furth did not take up the option.

Mateusz Klich has shown how much a player can surprise everyone after largely being written off, and with Ideguchi still a youngster, there may have been an outside chance that he could also enjoy a remarkable turnaround.

It is still possible that Ideguchi will end up back at Leeds next summer even if he has enjoyed a brilliant loan spell, but perhaps the midfielder’s debut just hints that this may end up being one occasion where the Whites possibly made the wrong move in the transfer market by already agreeing the option that could allow him to leave permanently.