Gracia should money in on £60k-p/w Leeds “liability”, his worth has dropped 109% in 3 yrs – opinion
Leeds United’s penchant for a dangerous buy lately has backfired spectacularly, with the Whites having accrued lifeless wooden that’s at all times a battle to ship.
As such, they now discover themselves firmly entrenched in a relegation battle as soon as once more, after solely surviving the drop final season on the ultimate day of the season.
That type of drama is much too shut for consolation for followers of the Yorkshire outfit, who’ve needed to proceed struggling one explicit piece of lifeless wooden resulting from a scarcity of depth in his position.
Junior Firpo was signed from Barcelona for £12.8m, but the 26-year-old is but to come back even near the immense potential that was as soon as bestowed upon him.
Positionally unaware and never ok offensively to offset this, maybe Javi Gracia may look to money in on the full-back who’s shedding inventory with every passing recreation week.
How a lot is Junior Firpo value?
On the peak of his powers round 2019, while with Actual Betis and later the Catalan giants, Firpo was rated at a powerful €25m (£22.2m). Nevertheless, together with his struggles to determine himself inside that aspect, and his subsequent transfer to Elland Street, that determine has nose-dived dramatically.
Now the Dominican Republic defender has seen his worth even out at simply €12m (£10.6m), marking a stark 106% drop.
That is in no small half resulting from his disappointing performances within the Premier League, the place he has outlined himself as a considerably unreliable asset down the left flank.
Even commentator Juan Arango dubbed the £60k-per-week defender a “defensive liability” again in 2020 as he questioned his position inside the Barcelona squad.
His debut season at Leeds noticed him document a 6.6 common score as he would document simply two assists all yr and was removed from stable.
Simply final month noticed Paul Robinson lambast him for a very poor show towards Tottenham Hotspur, as he instructed BBC Radio 5 Stay (26/2, 12:52): “All the defender had to do was put in a simple tackle. It is terrible, schoolboy defending. Inexcusable.”
Then, regardless of being handed a switch battle chest in the summertime, ex-manager Jesse Marsch uncared for to seek out his successor and as an alternative opted to play a pure centre-back in Pascal Struijk in his place, to no avail.
This has been one in every of many blunders from this marketing campaign specifically, which has contributed to their abysmal league exhibiting.
Maybe now Gracia may see the sunshine and at last ditch this underperforming dud earlier than his worth drops any decrease.