Ilias Akhomach has opened up on why he rejected a move to Leeds United in the summer.
Akhomach was speaking in an interview with Sport where he claimed there were aspects of his move to Leeds he did not like, including the exit of Victor Orta.
Orta had been the driving force behind a deal for Akhomach, who had been out of contract with Barcelona at the end of last season.
According to Sport, Leeds reached an agreement on a deal to bring Akhomach to Elland Road for the start of this season, a deal which ultimately fell through after Orta’s exit.
Orta was sacked from his position as sporting director at the beginning of May with Leeds staring down the barrel of relegation from the Premier League.
Akhomach explains reason for Leeds rejection
With the 19-year-old now at Villarreal, he has explained that Leeds’ relegation, Orta’s exit and discussions with his family all contributed to him not moving to West Yorkshire.
He said: “I was going to go to the Premier League. That’s the truth. But then I thought it over with my family, the sporting director left, there were many changes, Leeds were relegated. Something was going on inside me that, when my family told me about it, I don’t know… There was something I didn’t like about going to Leeds. It was a lot of change.”
While Akhomach is clearly a decent young talent, there is no doubt this signing had Orta’s fingerprints all over it, as he was just not what Leeds needed at the time.
Leeds’ options out wide in their relegation season were arguably the strongest across the entire squad, with Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra, Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville all pushing for two spots.
Had the Whites stayed up, he would’ve just been another body that Leeds did not need and so in all honesty, it was probably best for all parties that a deal fell through.
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