Did Leeds avoid expensive mistake amid Chris Martin’s Reading struggles?

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Leeds United turned down the chance to loan Chris Martin from Derby County, so the striker joined Championship rivals Reading instead.

Chris Martin missed the chance to show Leeds United what they were missing on Saturday. The Reading striker, who joined on loan from Derby County during the January transfer window, missed the 2-2 draw with Paul Heckingbottom’s side through illness.

Overall, however, Martin is yet to suggest that Leeds made a mistake when they turned down the chance to sign him at the start of the year.

As reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post, Derby offered The Whites the chance to sign Martin after Cameron Jerome arrived at Pride Park and pushed the Scotland international down to fifth place in the pecking order.

But, the report adds, Martin was on a big salary at Derby and signing him would have broken Leeds’ wage structure. So, despite the fact the former Norwich City man is the proven Championship goalscorer that Leeds are missing, they turned him down.

Although since joining Championship rivals Reading instead, Martin has hit the net just once in five appearances with Jaap Stam’s Royals picking up just two points from the games he has played in so far.

This continues a poor run of goalscoring form for Martin, who struggled to settle during a loan spell at Fulham last season and managed just one goal in 23 games for Derby in the first half of the current campaign.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga might have come under fire from some sections of the Leeds support of late but, on current form, breaking their wage structure for Martin might have been an expensive mistake.