‘Narrow escape’ – Club dodged bullet by avoiding Leeds player, hardly ‘leaving big traces’ at Elland Road

Inter Milan dodged a bullet when their deal for Leeds United defender Junior Firpo fell through because of COVID.

That’s the opinion of Gazzetta dello Sport today, who comment on the Leeds man as part of a piece about Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez.

He was the key man in the 3-3 draw with Barcelona last night, bagging a goal and an assist against the Catalans in a superb performance.

The irony in that is he could have once joined Barcelona, with a deal in place two years ago that would have seen him swapping Inter for the Nou Camp and would have included Junior Firpo going the other way.

That never happened because of COVID, and Martinez remained where he was and Firpo instead joined Leeds in a €15m deal in 2021.

He’s struggled to impress at Elland Road since his arrival and Gazzetta now believe the failed transfer was a bullet dodged for Inter.

“Winter 2020, 80 million and Junior Firpo: all done or almost,” their journalist Alessandro De Felice writes.

“Then Covid. But again, if you think about it … Junior Firpo! Who today plays in Leeds without leaving big traces: then they valued him €30m, today you go to Transfermarkt and you are struggling to reach €12m.

“Ok, narrow escape. For Inter, of course.”