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Leeds United might have one less Spaniard after the January transfer window.
Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post is reporting that Samu Saiz might be headed back to Spain with Getafe interested in the playmaker.
A major development at Leeds and somewhat out the blue - Getafe looking to do a deal for Samuel Saiz. Saiz unhappy in England and wants to go back to Spain. Could be set for a parting of ways:https://t.co/VwOBsH5U28
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) December 13, 2018
There have been whispers of Saiz not being content at Leeds, with Not the Top 20 podcast mentioning that they had heard rumours of Saiz wanting to go back to Spain. Jack and KC mentioned it on the latest Mighty Whites Podcast as well, if you haven’t listened to it.
Saiz was a revelation last season when Leeds were flying high in the table under Thomas Christiansen, but he never seemed the same after his suspension for a spitting incident against Newport County in the FA Cup for which he received a six-game ban.
Bielsa on Saiz: "He played well today but he didn't create superiority (in going past QPR players). Playing well is a step forward. Now he needs to find his capacity to make the difference." #lufc
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) December 8, 2018
He started the season in pretty decent form, but has recently been dropped with Marcelo Bielsa mentioning that Saiz “needed to find his capactiy to make the difference” which sounds like Bielsa was saying that Saiz needed to find his extra gear and spark of creativity which he seemed to lack recently.
While Saiz being dropped and looking like he was lacking a spark were puzzling developments, if Saiz had, as reports have said, that he had requested to go back to Spain, it suddenly all makes sense. Bielsa seems the type of manager that would drop a player if he was looking to make a move or if the player’s head had been turned. Even if the reports are true that it is Saiz’s pregnant partner who is the one driving a return to Spain, it would still make sense for Bielsa to see how the team plays without a player who has requested to leave, and also for Bielsa to mentally move on from a player who doesn’t want to be in the team.
It’s disappointing to here this rumour about Saiz, but as long as the money from the sale is reinvested in the first team and Chelsea loanee Izzy Brown comes in and performs to the level that he is capable of achieving, this shouldn’t be something that will derail the promotion hopes of Leeds. Of course, if Saiz is sold and there aren’t any new players, then Leeds fans will get a little nervous. Let’s hope that won’t be the case.