£20.2m wasted: Leeds' "forgotten man" has been robbing Radz blind for over 113 weeks - opinion

Helder Costa’s struggles are continuing, even away from Leeds United.

After a hard start to life at Elland Road following a £15m move from Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Angolan winger was shipped out on loan to the Spanish top-flight, joining Valencia on loan for the 2021/22 campaign.

And it’s hard to envisage them wanting to make the temporary stint a permanent one as he’s failed to make his mark at the Mestalla this season.

The 28-year-old, who is now valued at just £7.2m, has contributed only two assists across 20 appearances for the LaLiga outfit, as per Transfermarkt. That’s one direct goal involvement every 525 minutes – once every 5.8 games.

His performances for Los Che have been so bad that the Spanish press have often lambasted him with criticism – one outlet urged the wide man to ‘wake up’ and ‘get his act together’, as relayed by Sport Witness.

If Costa does return to Leeds in the summer, then he’s unlikely to garner much interest as a result of his labours, meaning he could well be back competing for a place in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad next term, or whoever is in the dugout.

But according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, the Jorge Mendes client doesn’t feature in the Argentine’s plans whatsoever. He told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think Leeds need to cut their losses, see what money they can get in for him and use that to maybe strengthen the squad elsewhere, because Helder Costa doesn’t figure in the plans of Bielsa going forward, so it makes sense for all parties to move on.”

The 5 foot 10 winger, who was also dubbed a “forgotten man” by the reporter, will likely continue to ransack chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s pockets for the foreseeable future as he remains under contract until the summer of 2024.

Costa earns reported