Leeds United missed out on Mario Pasalic as the midfielder joined Russian giants Spartak Moscow instead.
With Leeds United slipping down the Championship table, Mario Pasalic might not be viewing his failed move to Elland Road in the summer as a missed opportunity.
Gianluca di Marzio reported in June that Leeds were hoping to land the highly-rated Croatian on a loan deal from Chelsea, only for the Premier League champions to sent Pasalic out to Russia with Spartak Moscow instead. The 22-year-old is now playing Champions League football this season rather than toiling in the Championship with a crumbling Leeds side.
Though the main reason for Chelsea sending the dynamic Pasalic away from Stamford Bridge would be to get him game time with the prospect of including him in the first-team next season or perhaps selling him on for a decent fee.
But after a promising start to 2017/18 in Russia, Pasalic has rapidly fallen down the pecking order. He has made just three appearances in the top flight since September – totalling just 22 minutes of football. In fact, his only starts in the last two months were against Spartak Nalchik in the cup and a 2-1 Champions League defeat to Sevilla.
If Chelsea had sent Pasalic to Leeds instead, however, it’s likely the former Hajduk Split prospect would be playing a far more prominent role.
The highly-rated midfielder, who spent recent loan spells at Monaco and AC Milan, is a goalscoring midfielder in the mould of Frank Lampard who is renowned for making well-timed runs into the penalty area.
With Leeds’ attacking options struggling for goals, an attacking threat from the midfield would come in handy for under-fire boss Thomas Christiansen.
Chelsea must make a decision about what to do with Pasalic in January. It makes little sense for him to stay in Russia with his game-time drying up.
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