Bamba Dieng arrived at a private airport in Nice ready to board a 3.30pm flight on a plush jet laid on by Leeds so he could complete a £10million move to Elland Road. By this point, Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani had already welcomed the Marseille attacker on Twitter. Done deal? Not quite.
Many believe Dieng, having decided to renege on a move to Leeds, got exactly what was coming to him after his transfer to Nice collapsed over a failed medical in an episode that will be remembered as one of the most bizarre in deadline day history. But before you take glee in the fact a footballer’s burgeoning career has been left in turmoil, there are a couple of things to consider.
Firstly, Dieng is 22 – he’s young, he’ll make mistakes – though that is unlikely to invoke much sympathy from Leeds who were apoplectic at the Senegal international’s U-turn. The forward arrived in France from Africa less than two years ago, Marseille plucking him from a footballing academy in his homeland – the pressurised industry of football transfers a world away from what he is used to.
Bamba Dieng was turned down a move in favour of a switch to Nice but then failed a medical
Secondly, consider his subsequent failed medical for what has been described to Sportsmail as a significant knee problem and the obstacles that now poses to a career that’s barely got started. Of course, there are those who will readily ignore any mitigation and believe karma simply caught up with Dieng.
But if we are talking about karma, we shouldn’t forget that Radrizzani admitted he was ‘ashamed’ earlier this summer when he reneged on an agreement to sell Raphinha to Chelsea after the player made clear he wanted to join Barcelona instead. That’s business. That’s football.
However, as Dieng woke up on Friday morning he did so having no idea where his career was headed. That is a frightening thought for anyone.
Leeds’ interest came to light early on Thursday morning; intermediary Saif Rubie receiving an SOS from Angus Kinnear, Leeds’s chief executive, expressing the club’s interest in completing a deal for Dieng. The Yorkshire club originally hoped to sign Cody Gakpo – but it became clear on Wednesday that extracting him from PSV Eindhoven was going to be impossible.
Leeds had set up a private jet to fly Dieng over to England ahead of a proposed transfer
Earlier in the week, Rubie, who is based in the United Arab Emirates, was in London to oversee West Ham’s club record capture of Lucas Paqueta….