Those of a Leeds United persuasion will reflect on the prior Marcelo Bielsa reign with particular fondness despite the Argentine’s eventual dismissal, with the current Uruguay boss having transformed a club that was going nowhere fast into a respectable top-flight outfit.
With a free-flowing and an at times kamikaze style of play, the experienced coach certainly brought a sense of excitement to Elland Road prior to his sacking in February 2022, with few figures having made such an impact on a club or its fanbase.
For all the 68-year-old’s heroics of leading the Yorkshire side back into the Premier League after a 16-year absence – and their subsequent ninth-placed finish in 2020/21 – that’s not to suggest that he got everything right during his turbulent tenure.
In the transfer market, in particular, the one-time Marseille boss didn’t always pull off particularly astute dealings, with Junior Firpo, for instance, having been somewhat “chaotic” since his £12.8m arrival from Barcelona back in 2021, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
The injury-prone full-back is not alone in having underwhelmed since being plucked from La Liga by Bielsa, with Diego Llorente – who is currently out on loan at AS Roma – having flattered to deceive following his arrival from Real Sociedad in the summer of 2020.
As the Spaniard’s plummetting market valuation would indicate – as well as his lack of impact in a Leeds shirt – he has proven something of a nightmare signing as far as the Championship side are concerned.
How much did Leeds pay for Diego Llorente?
Despite having finished 2019/20 with the best defensive record in the second tier, Bielsa and co were seemingly intent on bolstering their backline amid the return to the promised land that is the Premier League, having brought in Llorente alongside Germany international, Robin Koch.
With the Whites forking out around £13m in order to sign the latter man from Bundesliga side Freiburg, a further £18m was then spent by the club in order to acquire Llorente from San Sebastian, with the experienced centre-back having racked up 88 appearances for his previous employers.
The 6 foot 1 asset had previously been on the books at Real Madrid – for whom he made three first-team appearances – with Bielsa stating at the time that he had the “ability to adapt to the physical demands of the Premier League”, prior to his eventual debut.
As Leeds supporters have come to learn, however, that statement has proven somewhat false, with the ten-cap Spain international having been unable to keep up with the rigours of English football due to his regular stints on the treatment table.
How many appearances has Diego Llorente made for Leeds?
Injuries ensured that the central defender was able to make just 15 league appearances during his debut campaign at Elland Road, with pundit Frank McAvennie questioning in 2021 just how he had been able to pass a medical, after repeatedly being ruled out of action.
Even when the struggling asset did feature – after starting 28 league games in 2021/22 – it was not as if he particularly impressed, with talkSPORT’s Gabby Agbonlahor having said of his shortcomings earlier this year:
“Llorente wasn’t good enough for the Premier League. He’s sluggish, slow. He just doesn’t have the pace for the Premier League.”
The Madrid native was particularly poor in the early knockings of last season – despite earning a contract extension – with Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth having stated back in December:
“His form has just been a little patchy, and there have been times when you think it’s not really working out for him or his confidence isn’t there.”
Having been moved on loan to Roma, initially in January, it remains to be seen if Llorente has a future at all back at Elland Road, having thus far made just 59 appearances in all competitions over the past three years or so, scoring four goals.
How much is Diego Llorente worth now?
Still technically on the books at Leeds – despite his temporary move to Serie A – the one-time Malaga man has seen his value plummet in recent times, with it looking as if Bielsa made a real mistake by splashing the cash on his capture back in 2020.
According to CIES Football Observatory, the 30-year-old is now said to be worth as little as €5m (£4m), with that representing a decline of £14m in relation to the £18m that the club initially forked out to prise him from Sociedad.
Highest value players at Leeds (via CIES) | |
|---|---|
Player | Market Value |
Wilfried Gnonto | €40m (£35m) |
Georginio Rutter | €30m (£26m) |
Illan Meslier | €30m (£26m) |
Pascal Struijk | €20m (£17m) |
Crysencio Summerville | €20m (£17m) |
Joel Piroe | €15m (£13m) |
That decline has come despite the fact that the forgotten man still has three years left to run on his existing deal back at his parent club, with it potentially set to prove difficult to shift the defender if he does not impress under Jose Mourinho’s watch this season.
How has Diego Llorente performed this season?
Much like numerous others who were part of Leeds’ relegation last season, Llorente has been able to avoid plying his trade in England’s second tier by returning to the Stadio Olimpico, joining a side that includes the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Chris Smalling and Paulo Dybala.
It hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride so far this term for the Spaniard and his teammates, however, with Mourinho’s men having won just two of their opening seven league games.
Llorente started the first six of those Serie A meetings – keeping just one clean sheet – although typically the £58k-per-week dud has missed the last two games in all competitions due to an injury setback, thus once again proving something of a liability.
On reflection, Leeds may deem it £18m wasted such have been the one-time Rayo Vallecano man’s woes over the past few years, with it hard to see a way back for the unreliable talent at Elland Road when he does ultimately make his return next summer.
The aim at that stage will likely be to move him on as quickly as possible, although the £4m-rated flop is unlikely to command too great of a transfer fee if his current market valuation is anything to go by.
