Leeds must finally axe “frustrating” £46k-p/w Orta flop, he’s been a huge letdown - opinion

The previous summer transfer window was a busy one for Leeds United, more so in terms of players moving out of the club rather than many new ones coming in.

One player who left Elland Road last summer was Helder Costa, who joined Spanish club Valencia on loan until the end of the season.

Since making the move to Spain, the winger – who is currently picking up £46k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has made 20 appearances for Valencia across La Liga and the Copa del Rey but has only managed to provide two assists, with no goals to his name.

His league performances haven’t been much to shout about either, with WhoScored giving him an underwhelming overall rating of 6.47/10, making him one of the lowest-rated Valencia players to have started more than two La Liga games this season.

While there is an option in place for the Spanish club to make Costa’s deal a permanent one in the summer, they may not want to do so based on his performances so far, leaving Leeds to potentially be stuck with him.

If that turns out to be the case, the Yorkshire club should then be looking at other suitors who may be willing to take him on a permanent deal rather than keeping him on the books at Elland Road.

Having had his performances for Leeds described as “frustrating” by Noel Whelan, Costa has only netted eight goals and provided 11 assists in 71 appearances for the Whites across all competitions, which suggests that he may not be a useful option for the team next season if he ends up staying put back at his parent club.

If the attacker ends his loan spell with Valencia on a whimper with no goals under his belt, he could be on the lookout for another club to try and get his career back on track.

As things stand, it’s safe to say that