Leeds’ first season in the Premier League was astounding as they finished ninth while playing some brilliant football, taking four points off champions Manchester City in the process.
After a top-half finish, the opportunity was there for Leeds to kick on and establish themselves as a mainstay in the Premier League once more.
Andrea Radrizzani went on record after relegation to state how Bielsa demanded multiple signings during that 2021 summer window, per Sky Sports:
“Sometimes the pressure can become stressful. We both remember at the end of the first season in the Premier League, we finished ninth.
“It was a brilliant season and I remember sitting down with Marcelo. He actually said, ‘you should change me or you should change all the players because we can’t do better than that unless we make changes’.
“He was aware the situation was at the limit. We decided to stay one extra year with a view to him becoming a director of football on top of the coach role.”
However, Leeds then made just three permanent senior signings, one of those being Jack Harrison signed on a permanent £11million deal after three successive loans from Manchester City, and the other two being Dan James for £25million and Junior Firpo for £13million.
What followed was a season of real struggle for Bielsa and Leeds as his side looked physically much worse off after three incredibly intense campaigns, and saw the Argentine sacked after essentially predicting his own demise and being ignored by Radrizzani in the summer.
Leeds could have signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for £10million
A cost-effective transfer solution that Leeds could have managed during that summer was Georgian sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Then of Russian side Rubin Kazan, Kvaratskhelia was looking for a route out and even confirmed talks that were held with Leeds:
“Negotiations are underway with many clubs. We are already in a decisive phase. Who are we negotiating with? I cannot say that.
“Negotiations with Leeds? Yes, they have been conducted and may resume.”
Simultaneously, his agent had revealed that £10million would be all it took to sign him at the time, but Leeds didn’t take up a golden opportunity.
Still only 23, Kvaratskhelia is plying his trade for Napoli and is regarded as one of the best wingers in world football, driving the Italian side to their first Scudetto since Diego Maradona’s iconic period at the club.
Kvaratskhelia is yet to reach 100 appearances for Napoli in all competitions, but has a staggering 28 goals and 28 assists to his name already.
In the 2023 Ballon D’Or rankings, the winger finished 17th, above the likes of Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and Antoine Griezmann.
His seven Serie A appearances under Antonio Conte this season have yielded three goals and two assists – starting alongside former Leeds youngster Elia Caprile in his last two.
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