‘He chose to stay’: President admits Leeds wanted ‘unbelievable’ £25m star

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Dutch international Noa Lang held talks with Leeds United before opting to stay at Club Brugge rather than force a move to the Premier League, president Bart Verhaeghe tells Het Nieuwsblad. 

Against all the odds, the former Ajax starlet is still a Club Brugge player. Hands up who saw that coming?

Arsenal, Leicester City, Everton, AC Milan, Leeds United; Those are just some of the clubs to have reportedly taken an interest in Noa Lang over the last 18 months or so. We could go on.

According to The Athletic, the 23-year-old threatened to drive a wedge between the Leeds bosses and the famously stubborn Marcelo Bielsa during the summer of 2021, with some at Elland Road ‘frustrated’ that the legendary head coach did not share their enthusiasm for a player who’s attitude has often distracted from his undoubted ability.  

This is not the first time Lang has divided opinion either.

Marcelo Bielsa didn’t want Noa Lang at Leeds United

“Noa has received several offers. Some clubs have talked to him, like Milan or Leeds,” explains Verhaeghe, insisting that Lang staying put was not simply the result of Bielsa’s alleged concerns over his defensive work-rate.

“For us, he had the green light to leave but, in the end, he chose to stay. He is a very selective guy. He received an 18 million euro offer from the Lille but refused it. In the end, he made the decision and told us he wanted to stay.

“Now, we are putting a lot of emphasis on his character and class.”

Lang, a gifted left winger with a penchant for the spectacular, scored nine goals and set up 15 more as Club Brugge claimed another Jupiler League title in 2021/22. The challenge, now, is for Lang to prove that he has an elite-level mentality to match his elite-level technical ability.

“When you see his qualities, it is unbelievable,” former Ajax youth coach Richard Witschge of Lang. “I think he’s a bit of a (Zinedine) Zidane. This guy is so athletic, fast and technical too. He basically has everything Zidane had.  

“I hope he is just as strong in his mind as Zidane, who was always focused on football.” 

The £25 million-rated Lang, meanwhile, confirmed that Leeds made ‘three offers’ for him around a year ago, representatives from the Elland Road outfit flying to the Netherlands to hold face-to-face talks.