Marcelo Bielsa was a Leeds United hero but £18m transfer wasn't one of his better moments: View | OneFootball

The signing of Diego Llorente was a huge disappointment for Leeds United and is one of Bielsa's few mistakes at the club.

The Marcelo Bielsa era at Leeds United will not be forgotten for a long while.

After years of mediocrity at Elland Road, Leeds United fans were crying out for some success in the Championship and it finally came when the club appointed Marcelo Bielsa in 2018.

Bielsa had built a reputation, both in South America and in Europe, for his coaching style, and he was now arriving at Elland Road hoping to build an identity at the club.

Fortunately for Leeds, he did exactly that in a very short time as in his first season he guided the club to a third-place finish but they lost out in the play-off semi-finals. His second season at the club was even more successful as his side won the Championship title and subsequently returned to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.

In the top-flight, Leeds were admired for their fearless, attacking football, and despite the club struggling towards the end of his spell, Bielsa became a legend at Elland Road.

Throughout his tenure at the club, Bielsa made some phenomenal signings, namely Patrick Bamford and Raphinha, as well as Ben White, who helped Leeds to promotion whilst on loan.

However, not all of Bielsa's signings quite went to plan. Diego Llorente, for example, was brought in for a big fee, but never quite lived up to expectations.

Diego Llorente arrives at Elland Road

Leeds had just won promotion to the Premier League under Bielsa, and the city was full of jubilation. The club had not seen top-flight football for over a decade and a half and were excited about the near future.

The likes of Raphinha, Rodrigo, and Robin Koch, who all became regulars in the side, were all signed that summer as Bielsa built his squad ahead of a huge Premier League return.

Leeds needed defensive reinforcements, and they looked to Llorente, a former Real Madrid defender. The Spaniard had spent the three years prior at Real Sociedad, where he was a key defensive figure in La Liga.

The Whites forked out an £18 million fee on the centre-back who signed a four-year deal with the club. Leeds were reportedly considering signing Josko Gvardiol, who is now a star at Manchester City but opted for Llorente instead.

Llorente's time at Leeds United

For a fee of £18 million, you would expect Llorente to settle in straight away, but unfortunately, that was not the case. His first season at Elland Road was continuously disrupted by injuries.

His Premier League debut did not come until early December 2020, but he immediately returned to the sidelines for a few weeks. Between February and May, he finally earned a run of games to help his side finish ninth in the Premier League.

The following season, Llorente saw much more game time, but it was a tougher campaign for the club, as they finished in 17th place and just about managed to survive the drop zone.

Llorente's third and final campaign with Leeds was very disappointing. He lost his place in the starting eleven by October and in January he was sent out on loan to AS Roma.

The defender never played for Leeds again, as after a second loan spell with Roma, he departed permanently to Real Betis in July 2024.

Leeds had high hopes for Llorente, especially after paying £18 million for him, but his spell at the club was rather disappointing. Out of the three seasons he spent at Elland Road, he was a regular in defence for just one of them, as injuries got in the way.

It was not necessarily Bielsa's worst signing at Leeds, but it is certainly one to forget.