Marcelo Bielsa is the man who usually gets the credit for the revolution at Leeds United, but Victor Orta is a man who deserves a lot of the adulation for the Whites’ change in fortunes.
Indeed, the Director of Football has overseen some of the best transfer business Elland Road has ever seen, and since his arrival, he’s barely put a foot wrong.
Signings such as Raphinha, Illan Meslier and Jack Harrison have made Orta into something of a cult hero at Leeds, and it’s not hard to understand why. This is a very savvy operator who knows how to sniff out a bargain.
However, if reports are to be believed, Orta could be about to make a very uncharacteristic signing in the shape of Dan James.
Now, we’re not saying that James wouldn’t fit Leeds’ style – after all, his lightning speed makes his a great fit for Bielsa’s system, but we have to argue that spending such a massive amount on this player isn’t what we’ve come to expect from Orta.
£25m is the reported fee Leeds will be spending on James, and to be honest, that’s simply too much.
Compare it to the deal Leeds did on deadline day this time last year. They landed Raphinha for just £17m, and while that was an absolute bargain, it’s hard to argue that James is worth a penny more than the Brazilian, never mind a full £8m.
James isn’t a bad player at all, and he may even be a success at Leeds, but when you have a Director of Football like Orta who has proven he’s capable of getting some absolutely insane last-minute deals from abroad, this signing for this fee does feel a little inflated and a little rushed.
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