Helder Costa’s future at Leeds United has been the subject of numerous transfer negotiations over the past few days, but he is still under contract at Elland Road, and the 49ers Enterprises may be prepared to make a harsh decision to hasten his departure.
The international Angolan player, who spent last season on loan with Al-Ittihad, notified Leeds manager Daniel Farke that he wanted to leave the organization [LeedsLive, 7 September], with the Whites also longing for the same outcome [Phil Hay, August 18].
The transfer market has been closed for more than a week, yet Costa has still not found a new club, according to a 1 September article by Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth.
Although the Qatari transfer window closes on September 18 and the Saudi market closes on Thursday, September 7, Costa still has more than a week to complete his anticipated departure, joining other first-team players like Luis Sinisterra, Marc Roca, Tyler Adams, and Max Wober who have moved on this summer.
Costa joined the Elland Road squad in 2020 [Transfermarkt] after spending the previous season on loan with Marcelo Bielsa’s team. However, Costa hasn’t made a long-term commitment to Yorkshire, spending time on loan with both Valencia and Al-Ittihad.
Since Costa has struggled to make an impact at the club ever since Bielsa’s reign, LeedsLive reported on September 7 that Farke does not see the Angolan as a part of his first-team plans at Elland Road this season.
Although the Algerian only managed three goals in 18 games while on loan in the Saudi Pro League last season, there doesn’t seem to have been much interest in him.
Costa, though, is aware that his time in West Yorkshire is running out, so he and his agents will be working nonstop to finalize any move.
And in order to expedite the game, the 49ers could have to make a harsh decision on his situation.
According to writer Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post, a move to Saudi Arabia would have been “complicated” because the 29-year-old was traveling with the Angolan national team before the Saudi transfer deadline that same day.
The winger should come to an agreement with the Whites to become a free agent a year before his contract expires if one of the “options remaining” for Costa’s exit strategy does not “materialize” before the other windows close, according to Smyth. These options include moving to Qatar, Russia, or Turkey.
It might be the most logical course of action for both parties to agree to discontinue his contract because there is currently no planned transfer exit.
to resolve this “complicated” and uncomfortable problem straight now by agreeing to dissolve his contract.
Given the wide range of options available to the Whites this season—they kept players like Wilfried Gnonto and Crycensio Summerville despite a flurry of interest during the summer transfer window—it would take a staggering number of injuries before Farke even considered selecting Costa this year. However, even that seems unlikely.
They simply cannot afford to have room for players who aren’t in the right frame of mind to compete or who are thinking about prospective exits as it may utterly derail morale and squad cohesion with a key Championship season ahead of Farke and his club.
Because of this, Leeds United must simply drag out Costa by terminating his contract in the event that his inevitable exit route cannot be negotiated in the upcoming days. Even the Whites’ finances may find it to be brutal, but it is the best course of action for all parties.
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