Leeds squandered £12 million on “appalling” Marsch failure, who made more than Gnonto, according to opinion

The Whites’ deal to sign the defender in the summer of 2022 went horribly wrong.

Leeds United were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, dropping back to the Championship following three seasons in the top division.

Former sporting director Victor Orta was relieved of his duties in May 2022, shortly before relegation was formally confirmed, after his managerial appointments and signings failed to prevent the slip.

Jesse Marsch was brought in to replace Marcelo Bielsa in February 2022, and his efforts over the next three months maintained the Whites in the Premier League, securing the Yorkshire club’s third season in the competition.

Orta then supported the American head coach throughout the summer transfer window that year, bringing in seven new permanent signings, including Rasmus Kristensen, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto, and Tyler Adams.

It is fair to assume that Leeds had mixed results with those deals. Kristensen was a particularly terrible addition for the Whites, since he underperformed at right-back while earning more than Gnonto, who has shown to be a good acquisition.

How much did Leeds pay to sign Rasmus Kristensen?

Orta and Marsch rushed to recruit the full-back from Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg as their second summer transfer window move, paying a reported £10 million.

At the time of the transfer, the Leeds manager stated that he was “convinced” that the Danish defender would go on to become a “great” Premier League right-back.

Those statements did, however, follow an impressive season in the Bundesliga with Salzburg during the 2021/22 season, before to the defender’s move to England.

Kristensen started 29 league games in the Austrian top flight that season and impressed with his great attacking contributions from right-back, scoring seven goals, assisting three times, and creating seven ‘big opportunities’.

Bundesliga strikers dribbled past him 0.4 times per game. This suggested that the £10 million-rated star was a strong full-back who wingers found tough to beat down the flank.

Overall, it appeared that Leeds had recruited a fantastic young right-back who could be a threat at the top end of the pitch, with goals and assists, while also being a competent operator who prevented opponents from easily beating him at the other end.

Rasmus Kristensen’s Premier League statistics

Unfortunately, such skills did not translate well to life in the Premier League, and he suffered throughout his first season in England as the Whites were relegated to the Championship.

According to Capology, the Denmark international earned £40,000 a week during the 2022/23 season, for a total of approximately £2 million.

This means Leeds paid a total of £12 million for his services last season, including transfer fees and wages, yet were not rewarded with value for money from his on-field performances.

Kristensen drained the club’s coffers, and that money was squandered because the Marsch flop’s defensive and offensive performances in the English Premier League were disappointing.

As shown in the table above, his performance at both ends of the game dropped dramatically after moving to the Premier League from Austria, as he lacked inventiveness and was easier to beat in dribbles and duels.

Last season, only Marc Roca (1.4) and Luke Ayling (1.5) dribbled past Kristensen more times than the rest of the Leeds squad.

The Danish defender did not rank among the top three performances at the club in terms of tackles, interceptions, blocks, or aerial duels won per game, and Yorkshire Post journalist Leon Wobschall criticized his “appalling” defending against Liverpool in April 2023.

Overall, Leeds squandered £12 million on the full-back due to his dismal performances at both ends, and decided to loan him out to Roma, where he has started 16 Serie A games this season, last summer.

Wilfried Gnonto’s Leeds statistics

The Whites signed Gnonto from Zurich for a reported amount of £3.8 million in the summer of 2022, at the same time Kristensen was brought in.

According to Capology, the Italian youth earned £20,000 per week in the Premier League last season for Leeds, which was half of what the Danish right-back made at Elland Road.

Despite the club’s modest investment in the youngster, Gnonto impressed with two goals and four assists in 14 top-flight appearances.

While his attacking contributions were insufficient to keep the squad in the division, the right-footed dynamo arrived as a long-term project, and his performance in the Championship this season implies that his potential is finally being realized.

As shown in the table below, the 20-year-old marksman has contributed to the Whites’ goalscoring and goal-creation this season.

Gnonto has eight direct goal contributions in 14 Championship starts for Daniel Farke’s team, which averages more than one per other start.

The talented winger has therefore provided quality for Leeds in the Premier League and the second division in relatively little game time over the previous two seasons, having being recruited for £3.8 million on a weekly salary of £20,000.

Kristensen, on the other hand, was ‘appalling’ in the Premier League despite being signed for £10 million and earning £40,000 per week, demonstrating how disastrous Orta and Marsch’s signing was.

The Whites may now be looking to sell him, whether to Roma or another club, in order to recuperate some of the money they lost on the dud during the forthcoming summer transfer window.