Leeds United may have unwittingly stumbled onto a far better piece of business after losing out on Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Whites entered deadline day chasing reinforcements in three areas — left-back, left-wing and striker — and they’ve now ticked off two of those boxes.
With Noah Okafor already covering the left flank, Leeds were keen to bring in extra competition there to ease his workload. That solution arrived in the shape of Eintracht Frankfurt winger Jean-Matteo Bahoya.
Bahoya had previously been edging close to a switch to Hull City, but Leeds swooped in while the deal remained unfinished and swiftly struck terms with the Bundesliga outfit.
He’ll join initially on loan, with Leeds obligated to make the move permanent once an undisclosed clause is met — a fee reportedly worth up to £25.7 million overall, according to The Athletic.
The transfer went right down to the wire, with Leeds filing a deal sheet to buy extra time to get things over the line, coming shortly after they’d also confirmed the signing of Melvin Bard.
Losing out on Mudryk to a late Tottenham swoop naturally stung at the time, but it may end up working in Leeds’ favour. Spurs’ arrangement for Mudryk was a loan carrying a £75 million option to buy, while Leeds have instead landed a younger winger for a potential permanent outlay of just £25.7 million.
There’s no telling whether Bahoya will go on to outshine Mudryk, but Leeds may well have converted a frustrating near-miss into a much shrewder, cheaper piece of long-term business. What looked like a setback at first glance could yet turn out to be a stroke of luck.
