da realsbet： Leeds United were seemingly extremely close to the signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven last summer before a deal fell through at the final hurdle.
What happened between Leeds and Cody Gakpo?
da realbet： Then-director of football Victor Orta even flew to the Netherlands to conclude a deal for the 24-year-old attacker, with former manager Jesse Marsch later expressing his frustration as the deal was, in his words, 99.9% done.
He would go on to enjoy a superb start to the season with the Dutch giants, notching a remarkable nine goals and 12 assists in just 14 Eredivisie games, leading to a phenomenal 8.50 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.
His form at the World Cup in Qatar, where he managed another three goals in five appearances for the Netherlands, would only serve to increase his reputation further, and it seemed clear at this point that Leeds had missed out on a gem, and they'd have no chance of returning for him in the January transfer window.
In the end, the Netherlands international would make a move to the Premier League, joining international teammate Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool in a £35m deal, with the exciting young forward only adding to Leeds' pain when he grabbed a goal and an assist in the 6-1 demolition at Elland Road earlier this year.
Would Gakpo have been better than Bamford?
Although Leeds' defensive issues are perhaps the main reason they find themselves in the relegation places once again with only two games left to play, as no Premier League side has conceded more this season, fingers will surely have to be pointed at Patrick Bamford after his recent misses in front of goal.
The one-time England international spurned a glorious chance to win the game in the draw against Leicester City, while his tame penalty prevented Leeds from going 2-0 up against Newcastle United last weekend.
Bamford has just four goals and two assists in 27 Premier League appearances this season, which is 5.77 fewer than expected, which shows just how unreliable he has been in front of goal. He has looked every bit like a shadow of himself, having pocketed a whopping 17 goals during the Whites' first season back in the big time.
Gakpo, meanwhile, has overperformed by 0.4 on his expected goals ratio (xG) to hit six goals in just 19 appearances for Liverpool, which suggests that he would have been a big success as a regular in Leeds' team throughout the season.
The former PSV dynamo, who was described as "constantly threatening" by De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen during his time in the Eredivisie, has featured as a striker for Jurgen Klopp's side and for the Netherlands, which suggests that he could have replaced Bamford as the starting striker in Elland Road.
If Leeds do succumb to relegation this season, then fans will no doubt be wondering why Orta couldn't get the deal for Gakpo over the line, as the statistics show that he could have been a far better option for the Yorkshire outfit in attack.
It'll surely serve as one of his most disappointing blunders throughout his controversial tenure at Elland Road.