American Jesse Marsch was the man tasked with taking over from fan-favourite Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United after he was dismissed at the end of February 2022 after nearly four years in charge.
The Argentine departed Elland Road with the club just two points above the relegation zone, giving the former RB Leipzig boss a huge task on his hands at the time of his appointment.
However, the 50-year-old succeeded in his task of keeping the Whites in the Premier League, securing a 2-1 win over Brentford on the final day with Jack Harrison’s goal securing their top-flight status for another season.
As a result, Marsch was handed the funds to improve his first-team squad to prevent a repeat of the 2021/22 season, which saw the club scrapping for their lives towards the bottom of the table.
The American did just that, making a plethora of new additions during his transfer window in charge in Yorkshire.
Leeds’ transfer window in the summer of 2022
After losing both Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, the club had a lot of money to spend but faced a huge task of replacing two of Leeds’ best talents from the season prior.
In wide areas, the board decided to invest the funds in Luis Sinisterra and Wilfried Gnonto – with the Colombian bringing immediate reinforcement, whilst the Italian was seen as more of a long-term investment.
A total of £25m was spent on the two aforementioned talents, as the club tried to offset the loss of Brazilian Raphinha to the Spanish giants.
As for the departure of Phillips, the signings of Marc Roca and Tyler Adams were made from Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig – with the latter joining up with his compatriot at Elland Road.
However, Adams endured a torrid spell in England, with injuries constantly plaguing his time in Yorkshire, restricting him to 28 appearances in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign.
Marsch also added attacking midfielder Brendan Aaronson and full-back Rasmus Kristensen to help his ambitions of building on their Premier League survival in his first full season at the helm.
However, along with the departure of Raphinha and Phillips, the hierarchy certainly made a mistake in allowing one star to leave during the same transfer window.
The man who Leeds may regret offloading
Left-back Leif Davis came through the Leeds academy, making his first-team debut back in the 2018/19 season, going on to make five appearances in all competitions during his first campaign as a professional.
It would be followed by just nine more games across the next two seasons, leading to a loan move to Championship side Bournemouth for the 2021/22 campaign – making a total of 15 appearances.
However, it wouldn’t be enough to force the defender into Marsch’s first-team plans, subsequently joining League One outfit Ipswich Town for a fee in the region of just £1m.
His transfer to Portman Road allowed the Leeds academy graduate to gain valuable first-team minutes, cementing his place as a regular under Kieran McKenna, registering 14 assists from left-back as he helped the Tractor Boys secure promotion in 2022/23.
Davis’ stellar form continued into the Championship last year, notching 18 assists in just 44 appearances – securing back-to-back promotions at the expense of the Whites – further highlighting the mistake in allowing him to depart permanently.
The 24-year-old is now a Premier League player, whilst Leeds still remain a Championship club, with Davis, who’s previously been dubbed as an “animal” by former boss Scott Parker, seeing his market value soar as a result.
July 2022
£660k
April 2023
£830k
October 2023
£1.6m
December 2023
£3.3m
May 2024
£7.5m
October 2024
£12.5m
He’s now valued at £12.5m as per Transfermarkt – a rise of 1150% since his departure from Elland Road just over two years ago – with his creativity undoubtedly helping current boss Daniel Farke had the club kept hold of him.
It’s great to see an academy star reaching the potential many expected him to as a youngster, but it’s a huge shame that he’s no longer doing so in the white of Leeds United.
Marsch certainly made some questionable calls during his time as manager in Yorkshire, but his decision to allow the defender to leave for such a cheap fee certainly looks as though it was a terrible decision.
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