Marcelo Bielsa wanted 28-year-old, now he might have scored goal to get Leeds promoted

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Back in January 2019, Marcelo Bielsa was in the market for a new winger at Leeds United. It saw Dan James arrive at Elland Road and agree a deal, but Swansea pulled the plug at the last minute.

James of course, went to Manchester United a few months later before Bielsa finally got his man in the summer of 2021. But the Wales ace was not the only winger Bielsa was considering signing that month.

Indeed, Ireland star Callum O’Dowda was also on our radar – according to Sky Sports. Back then, the versatile lefty was at Bristol City. Now, he is at Cardiff but has endured an incredibly difficult 2023-24.

Surgery has limited the former Oxford United man to just seven games this season – the last of which came as a substitute against Ipswich on Saturday. Leeds had moved into second, but only momentarily.

Goals from Patrick Bamford and Willy Gnonto had given Leeds a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night – pushing Leeds into second, just two points behind Leicester City. It got even better for us.

Marcelo Bielsa wanted Callum O’Dowda in 2019 at Leeds United

Ipswich looked as though they were going to get a 1-0 away in Wales, Kieffer Moore – linked with Leeds in January – scoring his sixth goal since moving to Ipswich on loan from Bournemouth. Not enough.

With plenty of injury time being played, Ryan Wintle nabbed an equaliser for Cardiff on 95 minutes and then, incredibly, Cardiff went 2-1 up. O’Dowda coming on to score from close range, in the 100th minute.

A sensational result for Cardiff – but a potentially defining moment in the race for automatic promotion. The momentum is now with Leeds, as Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich continue to stutter late on.

With Leeds now in second having played the same amount of games as Ipswich and leading by a point, O’Dowda’s goal could be the moment we look back on and say, that is the day we secured promotion.