With Ivan Cavaleiro flying, did Leeds sign the wrong Wolves winger in Helder Costa

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While Helder Costa struggles at Leeds United, Ivan Cavaleiro has scored four Championship goals since joining Fulham from the Premier League.

To say Leeds United fans haven’t seen the best of Helder Costa would be one hell of an understatement.

Big things were expected when the Wolverhampton Wanderers winger arrived at Elland Road on loan – and not just because he’ll become their most expensive signing since a certain Rio Ferdinand next summer when their £15 million obligation-to-buy clause kicks in (the Mail).

Costa has thrived in the Championship before, helping Wolves cruise to the title as recently as 2018.

But his early Leeds career was summed up inside just 45 minutes in Saturday’s shock defeat to Millwall; promising, lively yet ultimately rather disappointing. Costa was hooked at half-time with The Whites 2-0 down and Marcelo Bielsa, who is yet to be truly won over by the Portuguese flyer, looked far from impressed.

Meanwhile, another Wolves loanee shone a few miles across London, crashing a stunning shot into the roof of the net to secure a 2-2 draw against Charlton Athletic. To make things even more frustrating, Leeds were heavily linked with Ivan Cavaleiro before he joined Fulham and they turned their attention to his former Molineux team-mate Costa.

The Sun reported in January that Cavaleiro was on Leeds’ radar and, with the benefit of hindsight, maybe he’d have been the better signing all along. Cavaleiro’s produced four goals and three assists for Fulham so far, with many of those strikes truly spectacular, while Costa is yet to get off the mark in either department.

And the warning signs were there already.

Cavaleiro was ahead of Costa in the pecking order for a reason during Wolves’ title-winning 2017/18 campaign, starting 31 games compared to 16 while scoring more goals (9 over 5) and grabbing more assists (12 over 6).

Costa’s best form at Wolves during the ill-fated reigns of Walter Zenga and Paul Lambert. And if that feels like a long time ago, that’s because it is.