"I was informed" - 92-cap international issues Leeds United transfer revelation | OneFootball

The 35-year-old free agent midfielder saw a move to Elland Road breakdown in October.

Free agent midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has admitted he's relieved his proposed move to Leeds United fell through in October, and has set the record straight as to why it did.

It was reported back in early October that Kouyate was included on the list of free agent players that Leeds were looking at, as Daniel Farke was contending with the loss of Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev to serious knee injuries at the time.

News soon broke that the veteran central midfielder/centre-back - who has been capped 92 times for Senegal at international level - was closing in on a move to the Whites, but just a matter of days later, Football Insider revealed that he'd failed a medical with the club.

It was reported that he failed to receive the all-clear from United's staff, and as such, the club decided to pull the plug on a potential deal. Leeds would then pivot to fellow free agent Joshua Guilavogui later that month.

Speaking in a recent interview with TFM (Télé Futurs Médias) show Quartier Général via Senegalese news outlet WIW Sport, Kouyate has revealed his side of the story as to why his proposed move to Elland Road collapsed.

He said: "I was informed on a Friday that I was injured during the medical.

"I immediately contacted a very competent doctor in England for a second opinion. Two of us took the medical tests, including Papy Djilobodji (plays for Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk).

"I took the tests again on Tuesday, and this time, everything was fine. But in the end, I was told that the other player had been selected.

"I gave thanks to God. I don’t want to join a club just to get back on track. Respect has to be earned."

Leeds United likely don't regret not signing Cheikhou Kouyate despite traits he could've brought to Elland Road

As it so happens, it's probably safe to assume that Leeds don't regret not completing a deal for Kouyate.

That's not to say the former Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and West Ham United man, among others, wouldn't have provided Farke's squad with a quality option, as his vast amount of Premier League and international experience certainly would've added value to the group.

However, despite having missed time since with another injury setback, Ampadu has been able to recover from that knee injury, and has been playing a vital role in Leeds' automatic promotion push.

Gruev has also recovered from his injury problem too, and with summer signings Ao Tanaka and Joe Rothwell both proving to be exceptional central midfield players at Championship level this season, Kouyate would likely have found no real place in the side had he signed.

As such, it has probably ended up working out best for both parties that the deal fell through. Leeds were largely able to avert the injury crisis they were fearing upon Kouyate's potential arrival, and the Senegalese international was able to avoid a move that probably wouldn't have been overly beneficial for him at this stage of his career in relation to game-time.

Kouyate has remained a free agent since his move to Elland Road collapsed.