It was towards the end of last season that we first saw Leeds United making an attempt to sign Ilias Akhomach from Barcelona.
Reports from the Spanish media at the time claimed that the Whites had won the race for the player, but they then saw the transfer collapse, with him moving to Villarreal instead.
There’s no one better to explain that situation than Akhomach himself, and quoted by Sport, he confirms that the move to Leeds was indeed close to happening.
The winger revealed that the unstable situation at Elland Road at the time was what convinced him to choose another destination.
“I was going to go to the Premier League. That’s the truth. But then I thought it over with my family, the sporting director left, there were many changes, Leeds were relegated…,” said Akhomach.
“Something was going on inside me that, when my family told me about it, I don’t know… There was something I didn’t like about going to Leeds. It was a lot of change..”
Akhomach’s contract with Barcelona was about to expire at the time of the negotiations, so Leeds didn’t have to negotiate a transfer fee.
The winger ended up signing a three-year deal with Villarreal, and is still working his way into the Yellow Submarine team. He’s made five appearances for them so far, with a total of 104 minutes on the pitch, adding an assist along the way.
