The Romanian playmaker appears in desperate need of a change of scenery – perhaps Leeds United should have offered him a fresh start.
It wasn’t just the fact that Leeds United dropped two more points in their chase for promotion that had the fans concerned after their 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town on Saturday. Instead, it was the manner of the performance or, in this case, the lack of.
In the face of a rugged, organised Ipswich side complete with three orthodox centre-backs, tight man-marking and an 80s throwback of a pitch to boot, Garry Monk’s side appeared toothless in attack with Pablo Hernandez, Leeds’ creative king, unable to sprinkle his magic dust.
This, coming just a week after a deep-lying Cardiff City restricted them to half chances in a 2-0 win at Elland Road, has ramped up the fears that a lack of incision and creativity could wreck Leeds’ chances of returning to the Premier League after 13 years away.
Therefore, you wonder what impact Alexandru Maxim could have had on proceedings if his mooted January move had progressed beyond the speculation stage. The Romanian international’s agent confirmed to Stuttgarter Nachrichten last month that Leeds were indeed interested in a player who spent the early years of his career working alongside current Whites assistant Pep Clotet at Espanyol.
Nonetheless, according to Romanian publication Evenimentl Zilei, Maxim’s extortionate wage demands priced him out of a January move while his star continues to fall at Stuttgart. He was left out of the matchday squad at the weekend – not for the first time either.
It’s easy, then, to portray Maxim as a player more trouble than he’s worth. Nonetheless, with Leeds’ lacking a creative spark in the centre, perhaps paying a little over the odds and accepting a somewhat flawed character would have been worth the hassle.
The 26-year-old has produced five assists in just eight league starts in the German second division and created a goal every four games on average during the last three seasons in the Bundesliga.
You get the feeling that, against Ipswich and Cardiff, he could have offered that missing touch of maverick charm.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
