Leeds United: Former player Samu Saiz is having a shocking season

Those at Leeds United will not be feeling regretful about the career choices of former player Samu Saiz, as he has been pretty woeful this season. 

After initially looking like he had the potential to be a top player for the Whites – scoring a hat-trick on his debut and following it up with some fine displays early on – he never quite made it at Leeds.

And so, in 2019, he left Elland Road and opted for a fresh start with Spanish outfit Girona, following a spell in West Yorkshire that appeared to spiral out of control, with his lowest ebb undoubtedly coming in early 2018 when he was given a six-game ban for spitting. However, if recent form is anything to go by, his departure might not be a decision too many at the Premier League club will be concerned by.

With that in mind, TIF has decided to take a look at the player to see how he has been getting along…

Saiz showed glimpses of his quality during his time with the Whites and actually left the club with a respectable 10 goals and 12 assists in 58 outings.

Since leaving for Girona, he hasn’t been able to contribute as consistently, with 11 goals and 17 assists in 116 matches across all competitions.

However, what has really caught the eye – for all the wrong reasons – is his shocking form this term. Indeed, according to WhoScored, Saiz has a lowly average match rating of 6.06. When you compare him to the current Leeds United squad, only Patrick Bamford scores worse (with 6.02).

It seems Saiz has stunk the place out this season, but arguably his worst performance came in a 2-1 away defeat at Real Betis. According to SofaScore, he earned himself a 5.4 match rating in that game as he made one error that led to a goal, lost the ball five times, managed zero shots, was caught offside on one occasion and failed with both with his only cross and long ball attempts in an awful 20-minute cameo.

This means he has scored as many goals this season (1) as he had made mistakes that have directly led to the opposition scoring – far from ideal for an attacking player.

And so, while he may be playing slightly better than Bamford statistically, the Englishman is struggling with fitness issues and so he at least has some excuse. As for Saiz, who has featured in every league game for Girona this term, it seems as though he is just in a bad rut of form.