Jerry Mbakogu could have been a Leeds player.
When Jerry Mbakogu’s career is over, he will look back and wonder what might have been had his move to Leeds have come off.
Leeds had a deal in place to sign Mbakogu for £3.5 million, Gianluca Di Marzio reported, before Marcelo Bielsa was appointed as manager and called the deal off.
Bielsa had reason to do so. He wanted players he had chosen himself, and Mbakogu had ended the 2017/18 season with a recurrence of a recurring knee injury.
While Leeds can wonder if having the extra firepower might have made a bit of difference in the play-offs last year, Mbakogu has not really had a great time of it to make Leeds regret the decision.
The 2019/20 campaign has been another tough one for the Nigerian.
Mbakogu signed for Croatian side Osijek last summer, a side who finished third in the country’s top tier.
The 27-year-old has struggled to find any semblance of form, and only has one goal this season.
Injuries have also held him back, with Mbakogu making only eight appearances the whole campaign, the last one coming back in November.
While he returned to the bench in March, his stop-start career was halted by the Croatian league then suspending play.
He still has time to get back on track and make his spell in Croatia a success, but he is off to an underwhelming start.
Elland Road has never seemed so far away for him.
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