How Leeds United fumble allowed Aston Villa to land key £28m transfer - it defines Victor Orta era | OneFootball

Victor Orta opting to move for Rodrigo over Ollie Watkins was a disastrous decision at the time.

Back in 2020, Leeds United were embarking on their first Premier League venture in 16 years after lifting the Championship title.

As they prepared to bolster their squad ahead of a highly anticipated top-flight return, then Director of Football Victor Orta made a transfer decision that in hindsight was disastrous, opting to sign former Spanish international Rodrigo over Ollie Watkins.

Given Watkins’ goalscoring regularity for Aston Villa over the last few years, it’s a choice Orta will still have deep feelings of regret about, with his regular output something Leeds lacked when they eventually dropped back down to the second tier in 2023.

Victor Orta opted for Rodrigo as a summer signing over Ollie Watkins

In the summer of 2020, Leeds’ plans for the summer transfer window were in full swing, with the Whites seeking a forward who could transform themselves into a Premier League marksman.

Victor Orta was very keen over a move at the time for Brentford’s Ollie Watkins, who had just come off the back of netting 25 goals in the Championship as the Bees suffered heartache in the play-off final.

Seemingly ready to make his mark in the top-flight, Leeds were keen on making a move, but Orta then had his head turned by developments in his native Spain, as Spanish striker Rodrigo was made available for transfer by Valencia.

A striker of his international pedigree with some of Europe’s top-tier clubs after him was then seen as a real coup for Leeds, with his goalscoring record in La Liga a promising enough tally to see him transition success into the top-flight.

Rodrigo ended up costing Leeds a reported sum of £27 million, while a snub for Watkins saw the frontman make the move to fellow Premier League outfit Aston Villa for £28 million.

Rodrigo’s goalscoring tally compared to Ollie Watkins

Untested on English shores beyond a stint at Bolton Wanderers some years before, Rodrigo wasn’t able to hit the ground running at Leeds as anticipated, failing to break into double figures for goals in his opening two seasons.

The forward recorded seven and six-goal campaigns as the Whites managed to hold onto their top-flight place.

In comparison, Ollie Watkins had no trouble making his presence felt at Villa Park, registering 14 goals in his opening term for the Villans, before hitting 11 the following season as he turned into a dependable figure when leading the line for the West Midlands outfit.

Rodrigo would show signs of improvement in his final season with the club by bagging 13 goals, a total that Watkins bettered by two.

Signing Ollie Watkins over Rodrigo could have secured Leeds' long-term PL future

Although Rodrigo eventually blossomed in a Leeds United shirt, Ollie Watkins had an instant knack of finding the back of the net in the Premier League, and it must have been frustrating for all connected with Leeds to not see him do this at Elland Road.

An added influx of goals from Watkins could have seen Leeds push further then their ninth-place finish in 2021 and achieve European football, which could have attracted a number of high-profile players to the club and kept the Whites fighting towards the upper ends of the top-flight table for years to come.

Instead, Leeds slumped in their next two seasons, surviving on the final day at Brentford under Jesse Marsch before failing to beat the drop under Sam Allardyce the following campaign, with Leeds only just recovering from this disappointment.

The transfer decision by Victor Orta to sign Rodrigo over Ollie Watkins was a significant factor as to why the Whites struggled in the Premier League for the majority of their three-season stay, and the Leeds faithful will be furious that he didn’t back a goalscoring striker on the rise in the English game, who could have taken the club to new heights.