The summer window of 2022 was the beginning of Leeds United’s downfall in the Premier League as Jesse Marsch sold Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, and failed to bring in any meaningful quality.
The sales of Raphinha to Barcelona and Phillips to City saw Leeds re-enter the transfer window and spend big on new signings like Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Luis Sinisterra and Brenden Aaronson.
During Marsch’s two transfer windows while in charge at Leeds, the Yorkshire outfit made 12 signings. Two years on, only three remain in Daniel Farke’s squad in Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto and Max Wober.
Six of the 12 have left permanently, and three others are on loan like Sonny Perkins and Darko Gyabi. But it was not just signings Marsch made that flopped, but players sold have also turned out to be mistakes.
Raphinha and Phillips’ departures saw Leeds fall, but another sold during the summer of 2022 is now set to make a first start for one of Europe’s biggest clubs in the form of Napoli, under boss Antonio Conte.
Elia Caprile set to win first start for Napoli after Leeds exit
During the summer of 2022, Caprile was sold to Bari. After a year at Bari in Serie B, where he clocked up 16 clean sheets in 43 games, goalkeeper Caprile completed a £6m move to giants Napoli in 2023.
A year on loan at Empoli followed for Caprile, where he became a regular in Serie A. This summer, he returned to Napoli and on the weekend, he came off the bench to replace the injured stopper Alex Meret.
He played for 54 minutes and helped Napoli keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with Juventus, Conte’s old side. Calcio Rosanero say Caprile will start for Napoli on Thursday in the Coppa Italia against Palermo.
What happened during Caprile’s two-and-a-half years at Leeds?
Signed in January 2020 as one of a number of young players brought to the club from European clubs by Victor Orta, Caprile remained on the books at Elland Road until the summer of 2022 before joining Bari.
The young goalkeeper never managed a senior debut at Leeds under either Marcelo Bielsa or Marsch, but he was a regular for the initial 18 months at Leeds with the 21’s before a loan at Pro Patria in 2021-22.
Games where Caprile reached first-team bench:
- 4-0 win v Hull, February 2020 (Under Bielsa in Championship)
- 2-0 wn v Huddersfield, March 2020 (Under Bielsa in Championship)
- 4-3 win v Fulham, September 2020 (under Bielsa in PL)
- 1-0 win v Sheffield United, September 2020 (under Bielsa in PL)
- 1-1 draw v Man City, October 2020 (under Bielsa in PL)
- 1-0 loss v Brighton, January 2021 (under Bielsa in PL)
- 3-0 loss v Crawley, January 2021 (under Bielsa in FA Cup)
- 2-0 loss v West Ham, March 2021 (under Bielsa in PL)
But to go from an outcast at Leeds and unable to make his debut for The Whites, to playing for Napoli in the space of two years, is quite the achievement and clearly is a mistake made by Leeds under Marsch.
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