£25m down the drain: Leeds’ “dawdling” 6 ft 1 “schoolboy” totally rinsed Radrizzani – opinion

Leeds United invested relatively heavily upon their 2020 return to the Premier League, as the god-like Marcelo Bielsa was backed immeasurably as they sought to afford the Argentine whatever he needed to continue their success.

It seemed that despite some of those new faces underperforming that the squad was destined to only go from strength to strength after a stellar first campaign back in the top flight, yet things have taken a decidedly harsh drop since which has seen two managers dismissed.

Bielsa was replaced by Jesse Marsch, who after a year was most recently replaced by Javi Gracia. The Spaniard now becomes the latest of the bunch to try and help them avoid the drop; a position which they have seemingly flirted with for years now.

It seems a shame that all of the acquisitions made since that 2019/20 campaign did not prove to be instant successes, as it likely would have kept them from this continuous cycle of mediocrity.

One such example of a signing who seemed to crumble when things got tough was Diego Llorente, who was most recently frozen out by the American who would then send him out on loan. Given how his performances had shifted from that first season to those that followed, this was not the most shocking of decisions that Marsch made. 

How much has Diego Llorente cost Leeds?

Signing for £18m in the summer following their promotion, he was one of two centre-back additions as Robin Koch had joined earlier in the window.

It left Bielsa with a surplus of experienced defenders all of which would be demanding to play, thus breeding fine competition.

From just 14 starts in his first year in England, the Spaniard would record an impressive 7.01 average rating whilst recording 1.3 interceptions, 2.3 tackles and 2.5 clearances per 90, via Sofascore.

To compare that with this current season, where his average rating had plummeted to an abysmal 6.67, the drop-off was clear and there for all to see.

However, it was the defender’s role at the back end of their last campaign where he really drew scorn, with numerous pundits lambasting his foolish decision-making as they neared the drop.

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson first outlined his frustrations in the role Llorente had played in Bielsa’s sacking, as he claimed: “Llorente’s defending has been schoolboy at times. His defending has been inexcusable, which hasn’t helped the situation.”

Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith would follow this up with the following claim back in September of 2022, as she told Sky Sports News (3 September, 05:42 pm): “I thought Llorente was really poor. A couple of times, he was getting caught out of position, dawdling on the ball, getting caught on the ball.”

With the 6 foot 1 centre-back having also picked up a hefty wage whilst at the club, which has amassed a further £7m, in total the defender has cost £25m.

Whilst this might be offset should AS Roma exercise their loan option to purchase him permanently, thus far Llorente has truly rinsed Andrea Radrizzani with little to show for it.

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