Orta struck gold by selling £7m Leeds star

Leeds United endured a relatively quiet transfer window throughout January, keeping hold of all of their key players, but also failing to make any new additions in their hunt for Championship promotion.

With just a couple of months left of 2024/25, there’s hope that such a decision not to pursue any targets doesn’t come back to bite Daniel Farke with a return to the Premier League expected at this point.

The Whites currently sit top of the pile with just 15 matches to go, with a huge falloff needed if they are to repeat last season’s form which saw them miss out on promotion at Wembley.

However, despite losing various first-team members after their play-off final defeat, Farke has done a superb job in replacing the talents and building a squad more than capable of winning the league title.

The base of the side has relatively been the same, undoubtedly contributing to their success on the pitch in recent months, with the German worthy of huge praise for his work at Elland Road.

Leeds United’s current midfield options in 2024/25

After such high-profile departures of the likes of Georginio Rutter and Archie Gray last summer, there were funds available to the boss to improve his side all over the pitch, with the central midfield department just one area which benefited from the investment.

Ao Tanaka arrived in a £3.5m deal from German outfit Fortuna Düsseldorf, being an unknown quantity to many, but has cemented himself as a regular starter since his summer move.

The Japanese star has since featured in 28 of the 31 league outings this campaign, frequently partnering captain Ethan Ampadu after his return to action following a lengthy layoff with a knee issue.

Joe Rothwell arrived on loan from Bournemouth, mainly as a backup, but has since forced his way into Farke’s starting XI, featuring 28 times – the same as Tanaka – highlighting his importance during his temporary spell in Yorkshire.

The aforementioned trio are good enough to start for the vast majority of sides in the division, not to mention Bulgarian star Ilia Gruev, who like Ampadu has missed large spells of the campaign, but has recently returned, showcasing the club’s strength in depth.

At one stage in another player’s career, it appeared as though he could’ve been the future of the club, but he was sold very early on in his time at Elland Road – a decision that has since proved to be a masterstroke.

The former Leeds star whose value has crashed

After breaking onto the scene during the 2016/17 campaign, midfielder Ronaldo Vieira was seen as a player with a huge future at Leeds, potentially being the player to play a key role in their Premier League ambitions.

He made 38 appearances across all competitions as a baby-faced 18-year-old, producing performances way beyond his tender years, scoring his first professional goal in the win over Norwich City.

Vieira would follow up his superb debut campaign with another impressive season at Elland Road in 2017/18, a year which would end up being his final at the club.

The midfielder racked up another 32 appearances, but it wasn’t enough to push the Whites towards a play-off place, ending the campaign in 13th place – with Victor Orta cashing in on the youngster in the summer.

He joined Italian side Sampdoria for £7m, a decision which disappointed the fanbase, but one that’s proven to be a great call given his lack of progression since.

Vieira, now aged 26, has massively struggled with injuries, halting his progression at the top level, still featuring for Sampdoria nearly seven years after his transfer, with the Italian side now in the second tier.

He’s only managed over 20 appearances once in the last seven seasons, highlighting how much injuries have impacted his once-promising career, with his market value plummeting as a result.

The Englishman is now only valued at £300k as per Transfermarkt, a decrease of over 95%, with Orta certainly making the right call despite the anger around his departure at the time.

Vieira still has plenty of time to make amends for lost time, but it’s safe to say he’s nowhere near reaching the levels many expected him to after his arrival on the scene as a teenager.

It’s certainly a shame that he’s been unable to extract the best out of the skill set which saw him thrive in Yorkshire, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that the hierarchy conducted excellent business cashing in on him when they did.