Leeds United have made some questionable signings since Victor Orta arrived at Elland Road.
The emergence of Tom Pearce at Leeds United is just another example of the fine young talent coming through the ranks at Elland Road.
The problem is, the Whites only gave the talented 20-year-old a chance after first spending money on Laurens De Bock only to quickly realise the Belgian is not good enough for a promotion-chasing side.
While hindsight is a wonderful thing in football, Leeds’ hierarchy should have known Pearce was a better bet than a 25-year-old from Club Brugge and shown faith much earlier. In so doing they could have reassured the Whites youngster that his career is best served at Elland Road and put a new contract in front of him far sooner.
Pearce is a class act who could blossom into a star at Leeds but, not for the first time since he arrive at the club, director of football Victor Orta opted to sign a more experienced player from abroad only to watch them fall short.
It would be unfair and incorrect to say that Orta does not think about youth, with much of his best business involving teenage imports such as Oriol Rey and Kun Temenuzhkov, and yet the bizarre contradiction is that his poor first-team additions have had a negative impact on those very prospects trying to break through.
De Bock is a prime example but he is far from the only one, and one wonders where Leeds could be in a few years if they stop taking risks with players from abroad and instead focus blooding the young talent desperate to prove their worth.
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