During Victor Orta’s reign as transfer chief at Leeds United, the Spaniard brought in a whole host of young talent from overseas or other English clubs.
While Orta often garners criticism for his work at Elland Road, one positive from his reign was his ability to spot potential gems. Leeds’ current side is awash with players bought as unknown talents by Orta.
Mateo Joseph, Illan Meslier, Pascal Struijk and Wilfried Gnonto were all unknown quantities when they arrived at Elland Road on the cheap as young talents, but they are all now key players for Daniel Farke.
Crysencio Summerville is another example, bought from Feyenoord for little over £1m but sold to West Ham for an initial £25m. Summerville’s move sees Leeds receive another £9m in add-ons if he shines in London.
Another player brought to Leeds during Orta’s search for young talent was striker Max Dean. While he did not get a chance in the Leeds first team, Dean has gone on to shine in Belgian football.
Max Dean does Conor McGregor celebration after Leeds exit
In January 2023, Mark Jackson took Dean to MK Dons and after a tricky start, he went on to score 20 goals in 43 games. It saw him earn a move to Belgian giants Gent for more than £2m in the summer.
Despite the step up from England’s fourth tier to the Belgian Pro League, Dean has made a superb start with Gent. He has scored four goals in nine appearances for Gent, three in the Europa Conference League.
On Sunday, Dean scored his first league goal for Gent in a 4-2 win over Champions League outfit Club Brugge. Netting past Simon Mignolet, he celebrated with Conor McGregor’s iconic walk in front of fans.
Dean’s stats at Leeds after failing to make senior appearance
Lured to Leeds in the summer of 2019 from Everton, Dean initially started in the U18 side and it wasn’t long before he was promoted to the second string at Elland Road, but he didn’t make a senior debut.
| Team | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Leeds | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leeds U21’s | 38 | 16 | 1 |
| Leeds U18’s | 14 | 5 | 1 |
While Leeds are well-stocked in the final third these days, so much so that Joe Gelhardt was omitted by Daniel Farke from the squad that faced Cardiff on Saturday, Dean clearly should have been given a go.
Instead, Leeds and the club’s supporters must watch from afar as the versatile attacker shines in Belgium for one of the Pro League’s biggest clubs in Gent, whether that is in Belgium or European football.
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