Leeds United were seeking for a right-back during the January transfer window, and before acquiring Connor Roberts on loan, they considered Daiki Hashioka.
Leeds’ transfer activity after being relegated from the Premier League has been mainly fantastic, with the only exception being their performance at right-back.
Connor Roberts and Archie Gray have shown to be more than adequate for a team now leading the table, but the plans after releasing Djed Spence may have been different.
Daiki Hashioka chose Luton Town over Leeds.
Leeds’ main goal was Daiki Hashioka, who was then playing for Belgian club Sint-Truiden and was definitely capturing the attention of fans in England.
The Athletic exposed the extent of Leeds’ interest in the Japan international, revealing that the Whites had begun to prepare paperwork.
However, it was Leeds who paved the way for Luton Town to step in, as worries at Elland Road surfaced about the 24-year-old’s ankle injury around the time of negotiations.
He subsequently joined Luton in the Premier League for a tiny sum of £2 million, joining a Hatters team in the midst of a relegation battle.
Hashioka is already facing challenges in the Premier League.
Hashioka knew when he signed with Luton in January that he would face a battle in every game, something Rob Edwards’ team has been quite successful at doing against everyone in the division.
However, he has had a disappointing start at Luton, with three matches and only one point against Crystal Palace.
Either side of those were heartbreaking defeats to Aston Villa (2-3 at home) and Bournemouth (4-3 away), where points appeared to be on their way to Kenilworth Road only to be stolen away in the second half.
Eight goals conceded in that period is a concerning start, especially when leading 3-0 against the Cherries only to throw the game away and lose.
It did not appear to be Hashioka’s decision that the Leeds deal fell through, but he may be looking back and thinking it would have been useful with a powerful Championship side rather than being stuck at centre-back in a scrap in the higher division.
