‘I forgot’: Victor Orta breaks silence on time at Leeds after Sevilla announcement

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Victor Orta has claimed he ‘forgot’ about all the bad moments at Leeds United as soon as he was sacked from his role as sporting director.

Orta was speaking at his official presentation after his appointment Sevilla in which the Athletic were in attendance, claiming expectations from Leeds fans were ‘double’ of him due to being a ‘foreigner’.

The 44-year-old spent six years in his role at Leeds before eventually being dismissed at the beginning of last month after a damaging 4-1 defeat at Bournemouth plunged them deep into relegation trouble.

It was a series of bad decisions from Orta that ultimately led Leeds into such a mess, with the poor managerial appointments of Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia, coupled with some terrible player recruitment, that ultimately saw his position become untenable.

He also had a number of ugly clashes with supporters and by the end of his tenure at Elland Road, they had made it clear it was time to go.

Orta reflects on Leeds spell

With a new chapter having been turned in his career, Orta says he only looks back fondly at his time at Leeds, despite the increased expectations from fans.

He said: “I had a very satisfactory time there, taking a team which had been 16 years in the lower divisions, as a foreigner in England, where they demand double of you.

“I managed a Premier League budget, all that means, managed the club as a director general, always aiming for the best for the team.

“It was a very important part of my life, with some very good moments, and the bad moments are forgotten. I forgot about that the day the door closed, just wanted to remember the good times I had there.”

This does feel like a very Orta answer. His comments make it look like he was the leading light in Leeds’ promotion in 2020, when everyone knows it was Marcelo Bielsa.

Orta’s struggles after Bielsa was sacked in February 2022 suggest Leeds were actually promoted in spite of him, rather than because of.

While credit can be given for bringing Bielsa to Elland Road in the first place, to suggest expectations were also higher because he wasn’t English are also false.