OPINION
Victor Orta was widely criticised for his transfer business in his first season at Leeds United, but it is safe to say that the Spanish director of football has done a marvellous job with his recruitment when all things are considered.
Since he was hired in 2017, Orta has overhauled the youth squads by adding quality young players from across Europe and has also made some very shrewd signings when adding players to the first team.
Orta was blasted for the amount of flops he signed while Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom were in charge but as seen this season, all those players needed was a good manager like Marcelo Bielsa to get them all performing at a promotion-hunting level.
And while not all of the players Orta signed in 2017/18 have been utilised by Bielsa, the Spaniard has done a great job with those who have been in need of selling.
Caleb Ekuban is a great example of that.
In his debut campaign at Elland Road, the Ghanaian forward made 21 appearances in all competitions and scored just two goals.
He was shipped out on loan to Turkish club Trabzonspor last summer, and they have recently confirmed via their official Twitter account that they will sign the 25-year-old on a permanent deal from Leeds once the season is over.
According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds paid £500,000 when they sign Ekuban from Chievo but stand to make a brilliant £1.5million profit on the forward after Trabzonspor took up their option to buy him permanently.
It is understood that the Turkish club will pay a seven-figure fee worth £2million, including add-ons, for someone who was one of the biggest flops of Orta’s time at Elland Road.
How the Whites’ director of football has managed to turn his mistake into a masterstroke is absolute genius and club owner Andrea Radrizzani should be handing out a payrise to the Spaniard because of the great work he has done in the last 12 months.