Let’s not beat around the bush, Leeds United are staring relegation to the Championship directly in the face.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Leeds now have a 45 per cent chance of going down, and that makes them one of the favourites for the drop.
So, if Leeds are to be relegated, what will happen to the squad?
Well, you have to imagine star players and high earners such as Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente will be on their way, but there could also be some other players brought in from the cold.
Indeed, Leeds have a somewhat sizeable loan army, and some of their players currently spending time away from the club could be brought back into the fold in the Championship.
The likes of Cody Drameh and Kiko Casilla could return as squad players, but, in our view, there could be a real place in the team as a key player for Helder Costa.
The Angolan winger has spent this season out on loan in La Liga, and while Leeds were ready to sell him for £20m, it’s hard to see Valencia shelling out that kind of money for a player who hasn’t scored yet this term.
However, Costa is much more well-suited to Championship football, he’s been described as ‘one of the best’ wingers at that level in the past by Helder Costa, while Pablo Hernandez praised his pace, describing him as ‘quick’ during his time at Leeds.
Costa has proven himself in the Championship before. After all, he’s won the league twice at that level with both Wolves and Leeds, and there’s reason to believe he could be a great fit for Jesse Marsch’s system.
Indeed, Marsch does like to use inverted wingers in his favoured 4-2-2-2 system – a system we haven’t seen all that often at Leeds, and if Raphinha leaves, a gap will be open for a left-footer on the right wing, and that’s a role Costa could absolutely thrive in.
The winger may be out in the cold right now, but if Leeds are playing Championship football next season, he could be needed big-time.
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