Report: Leeds surprised summer Barry Douglas deal was possible

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Leeds United had Barry Douglas on their list of targets, but never expected that they would be able to sign the left-back during the summer.

According to a report from the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds were incredibly surprised to see Barry Douglas become available in the summer and only made their move once it became apparent that Wolves were ready to sell the left-back.

Douglas was a masterful signing from Nuno Espirito Santo’s men last year, providing 14 assists and scoring five goals as Wolves were promoted to the Premier League. It seemed reasonable to expect that he was going to be an important part of their plans in the top flight.

However, Leeds caught many off-guard by getting a £3 million deal across the line in July. And, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Whites themselves were stunned that a move was possible.

The report suggests that Leeds had Douglas on their list of targets – which makes a lot of sense given the left-back issues the club endured until Tom Pearce’s run in the side last term – but assumed that he would be unavailable and did not necessarily plan to make a move.

In fact, that apparently only changed once Wolves made it clear that they were willing to sell the Scot as they looked at their own transfer targets in that area of the field. The Yorkshire Evening Post reports that a deal was basically completed overnight.

Marcelo Bielsa will be delighted that the club were the ones to poach Douglas from Molineux. The 29-year-old has made a fantastic start to life at Elland Road, providing three assists in the Championship.

After an absence of nearly a month, his importance to the team was made abundantly clear at the weekend as he slotted superbly back into the side in the victory at Wigan.

It was his pass that allowed Mateusz Klich to set up the opening goal, and Douglas rarely looked troubled defensively.

It was a brilliant performance to remind the supporters of the summer coup that Leeds, as it turns out, never expected to stand a chance of pulling off when they initially considered their transfer plans.