Frederico Venancio thrived at Sheffield Wednesday last season and could reportedly be back in the Championship with Leeds United.
For the second summer in a row, Leeds United are reportedly targeting Frederico Venancio.
But the deal would be far more impressive now than it looked 12 months ago, when the Sun (May 8, Goals Pull-out) claimed that Leeds were targeting the Vitoria Setubal captain who was far from a household name in England.
Unlike last June, when Leeds fans would have been firing up Wikipedia in unison to read all about their new transfer target, Whites fans should be more than aware of Venancio now. Because he spent the 2017/18 season on loan at Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday and established himself as one of the Championship’s most impressive centre-backs.
The 25-year-old made 20 league starts for Wednesday and, after recovering from a slow start, blossomed into one of their top performers in the final few months of the season as the Owls pulled away from the relegation zone and into a comfortable mid-table finish.
And Leeds fans have seen just how good Venancio can be first hand. He was one of the best players on the pitch as Wednesday won 2-1 at Elland Road back in May.
So it is fair to say that if Leeds land Venancio now, the deal will be far better received than it would have been a year ago. A Bola state that Leeds are hoping to sign the Vitoria ace ahead of Sheffield Wednesday with his price-tag set at a bargain £900,000.
While Venancio would have arrived in 2017 as an unknown quantity and another risky Victor Orta import, he would now come to Elland Road as a proven, Championship quality centre-back.
And considering that Leeds looked shaky at the back for most of last season, Venancio could be one of Orta’s few inspired signings.
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