Leeds United comeback ruled out for £16m signing | OneFootball

Helder Costa appears to have no future at Leeds United despite their relegation back into the Sky Bet Championship.

Leeds have significant work to do in the coming weeks and months to shape their playing squad for the upcoming EFL season after three years in the Premier League.

What is the latest with Helder Costa?

Costa hasn't featured for Leeds since August 2021, having completed 90 minutes of a 3-0 win over Crewe in the EFL Cup.

He's had two separate loans away from Elland Road since then, with Valencia and Al-Ittihad, combining for 47 appearances.

At Leeds, Costa has eight goals and 11 assists in 71 appearances, having been signed by Marcelo Bielsa ahead of the 2019/20 Championship season that concluded in promotion to the Premier League.

However, the Yorkshire Evening Post are not expecting Costa to return to the fold at Elland Road despite relegation.

They write that after back-to-back loans, there's no expectation that the 29-year-old will make a "shock comeback" at LS11.

What is Helder Costa's contract situation at Leeds?

Costa arrived at Leeds in a £16m deal from Wolves. His initial move to Elland Road was a loan, which became permanent in 2020 after promotion.

At that point Costa signed a four-year deal at Leeds, seeing him through until the summer of 2024. He is into the final 12 months of that agreement now.

Are Leeds right to move Costa on?

Costa played 43 times for Leeds in the Championship in 2019/20 and was a real regular under Bielsa. He returned four goals and four assists, helping the Whites back into the Premier League.

The following season he started well in the top-flight and finished the season with six goal involvements. However, as Leeds finished ninth, Raphinha had surged ahead of him in the pecking order.

Now, Leeds are embarking on an entirely new era. Bielsa is long gone and there appears now way back for Costa at Elland Road, which is hardly surprising given he's been out on loan twice.

Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra, Willy Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville and the returning Dan James are all good wide options for Leeds heading back into the Championship. Of course, they won't retain all five, but if they can keep hold of three (or two and recruit another) they'll have good depth in the wide positions.