Towards the end of the summer, Leeds United wanted a new forward, as shown by their late pursuit of Cody Gakpo.
However, before that, a transfer mess occurred when they went after another target of theirs in Marseille’s Bamba Dieng.
You’ve probably read the story numerous times, but the short version is the player was close to signing for Leeds until OGC Nice swooped in to steal him away from Elland Road, only for him to fail his medical with the Ligue 1 side.
This led to Dieng having to stay at Marseille, where it has taken some time for him to convince Igor Tudor he’s ready to play.
The player has remained rather silent about the whole situation, whether it be about the Leeds transfer or the one to Nice, but Marseille’s president, Pablo Longoria, had a chat with Foot Mercato about the Senegal international and what happened.
Asked about the kerfuffle, he said: “On a human level, it wasn’t easy for anyone. When you’re in a summer transfer market with a player who’s on the radar of other clubs, with the possibility of an exit, it isn’t easy mentally for the player. It’s also not easy for the club. From the moment the player came back here, the situation changed radically.
“The player has progressed a lot, and the result of that is he’s recovered a spot in the team because meritocracy is the most important thing in life. However, playing a competition with the transfer windows still open is very complicated, especially for the player’s minds. It’s also not easy in the relationship that you have with one of your players who is acting differently in a transfer situation. It isn’t easy to manage for anyone.”
Since returning to Marseille after the failed moves to Leeds and Nice, Dieng has made five appearances for Marseille, starting just one in a 2-2 draw against Strasbourg, in which he scored.
