According to Graeme Bailey, Leeds United were confident they would sign Roland Sallai during the transfer window and were “really disappointed” when he ended up in Turkey.
On October 10, the journalist told Leeds United News that the Hungarian attacker was expected to make a significant impact in England as he approached Elland Road.
The Whites were extensively connected with signing him from Freiburg in the last days of the transfer window [Sky Sports Germany, 27 August], but the deal never materialized, and he eventually joined Galatasaray after the English deadline had passed.
Bailey stated, “Clearly, some have gotten away. Roland Sallai, the Hungarian. They felt they had him, so I think that was a shock to them. They felt they had him, and there was hope he would make a major effect in England, so this was a setback to them.
“He is a good player, and I believe he might have had an impact at this level. He’s one they’ll look back on with disappointment because they believed they had him and were on their way in. He has subsequently moved on to Turkey, so that is one they were quite dissatisfied with.”
Leeds United missed out on Roland Sallai before the Galatasaray move.
The end of the summer transfer window was a chaotic event, with the 49ers scrambling to refill a club that had lost a number of crucial players.
If this season does not conclude in promotion, or if things go wrong before then, it could be a tipping point, as Daniel Farke was disappointed after the deadline not to be given a number 10 to replace Georginio Rutter [Graham Smyth, 2 September].
The loan of Manor Solomon was expected to assist cover that void, but the Tottenham attacker’s injury issues have already been revealed, raising concerns for the rest of the season [Smyth, September 26].
And, with the Yorkshire Evening Post’s Joe Donnohue reporting on 13 September that the club had backed out of a £9 million deal for Sallai in order to embark on their controversial, and perplexing, bid to recruit Gustavo Hamer from Sheffield United, the entire situation appeared to be a shambles.
Central midfield may be under the most injury pressure, but with Solomon and Dan James already missing numerous games, the choices behind the striker have been limited.
Coming into Transfer Deadline Day, another late attacking addition appeared to be on the cards [YEP, 30 August], but with the Hamer pursuit going nowhere other than upsetting Chris Wilder, the failure to sign Sallai may prove to be an enduring disappointment depending on how the season plays out.
