Helder Costa became the latest player to join Leeds United this summer, as he arrived on a season-long loan.
With the Daily Mail reporting that Leeds will pay £15 million to make Helder Costa’s loan move permanent next summer, it is little surprise that one announcement that the Whites made following his arrival was largely overshadowed.
Costa became Leeds’ fourth addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team of the window, with Jack Harrison, Ben White and Jack Clarke all completing loan deals this summer. But the Portuguese’s move is arguably the most notable.
Leeds will reportedly pay an eight-figure fee for the 25-year-old in 12 months. The club announced on their official website that Costa has agreed a four-year deal that will start next summer, and they also confirmed what shirt number the forward will wear.
The Wolves man has been handed the number 17 for the coming season, making him the first player since 2014 to play for Leeds with that number on the back of his shirt.
The reason that shirt will look unfamiliar to the Elland Road faithful is, of course, that Massimo Cellino retired the shirt during his time as owner due to his superstitious beliefs that it is an unlucky number.
Cellino famously had all the number 17 seats in Cagliari’s stadium replaced with 16b, and it was a similar situation with the matchday programmes at Elland Road when Leeds were about to play their 17th home game of that particular season.
While Cellino has been gone from Leeds for some time now, Costa will become the first player since Michael Brown to wear the number 17 shirt.
And the winger will be hoping that his form during the coming campaign does not prove to vindicate Cellino’s apparent fear of that particular number.
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