Leeds United very much find themselves in the reckoning for automatic promotion up to the Premier League once more in the Championship, with an unbeaten run of fixtures in October so far.
The seven-game run included the 2-0 win over rivals Sheffield United, one that will have made avid watchers of the second tier take the Whites more seriously, as Daniel Farke’s men ended the Blades’ own unbeaten start to the season with a confident victory.
Largie Ramazani has been a standout performer for the Whites amidst all this positive form, proving himself already to have been a top purchase this summer.
Ramazani's form this season
The former Manchester United youth product is already turning into a star playing for his ex-club’s arch nemesis, helping himself to a promising three goals and one assist in the Championship from just eight games.
His latest strike against Watford came after just four minutes, with a huge slice of fortune from goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann gifting him his latest goal in Leeds white, but his new set of adoring fans will worry that this will be his last golden contribution for some time.
Whilst Ramazani now faces up to six weeks on the sidelines due to injury, having been taken off shortly after this audacious effort owing to an ankle concern, there’s no denying that the Belgian has been an effective pick-up already and one that hasn’t dented the Championship club’s bank account too drastically.
Only on a modest £17.5k-per-week salary, according to Capology, the electric 5 foot 6 ace also only cost around the £10m mark to bring in, which isn’t an eye-watering amount compared next to some of Leeds’ more recent expensive mistakes.
Luis Sinisterra’s name would likely come into the conversation when discussing some costly modern misfires on Leeds’ end in the transfer market, with the Colombian attacker only making 26 appearances for his former employers, before uprooting again to AFC Bournemouth.
Sinisterra's costs at Leeds
He wasn’t an outright failure at Elland Road though, with the ex-Feyenoord winger showing off his obvious class for the Whites in flashes during his brief stint at the club.
The 25-year-old would tally up a promising goal return of five strikes from 19 Premier League games during the 2022/23 campaign, but that would end up being his only full season situated in West Yorkshire, with the millions Victor Orta and Co splashed out on him making the shortness of his stay sting.
Stat/Number
Sinisterra
Games played
26
Goals scored
8
Assists
1
Transfer fee
£21m
Wage
£65k-per-week
Full Wage costs over the season
£3.3m
Looking at the table above, Leeds overspent massively on picking up Sinisterra, with Ramazani already only five goals off his total tally for the Whites in the here and now, despite costing £11m less to snap up.
Moreover, Sinisterra would pocket a far heftier £65k-per-week salary at Elland Road, costing Leeds a steep £3.3m in wages alone during his only full season at the club, whilst the Belgian will end up costing Farke’s men over the full 2024/25 campaign a more reasonable £910k.
In total, when adding up his transfer fee and wage costs, Sinisterra ended up costing Leeds a staggering £24m, a high amount to part ways with for a player who never settled.
Leeds fans would have been gutted that Orta’s major statement signing from Feyenoord never really worked out, with memories of stunning strikes like these forgotten about now, owing to the fact Sinisterra jumped ship to Bournemouth instead of wanting to rough it in the league below.
Still, not many sleepless nights will have been had since regarding the 25-year-old’s exit, as Farke attempts to steer his side back to the big time with a more methodically put together side, over flashy signings denting the bank account.
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