Leeds United look set to complete the signing of Noah Okafor from AC Milan, with the winger set to become the Whites’ ninth senior signing of the summer.
According to transfer expert Graeme Bailey, Leeds’ deal to sign Okafor is now “done”, with the club set to give Daniel Farke the winger he has craved throughout the transfer window.
Although Leeds secured a well-deserved win over Everton in their first game back in the Premier League, their lack of cutting edge in attack was evident as they needed a late Lukas Nmecha penalty to break the deadlock.
Leeds fans will have high hopes for Okafor, who joins the club with a big reputation, but the Peacocks do not have a strong track record when recruiting from the Italian giants. Fans will hope that the club does not replicate the mistakes of the past with the Swiss international.
Leeds United’s last signing from AC Milan ended badly
The 2014/15 season could be used as a case study in how not to prepare for a season, as Leeds entered one of the darkest years in the club’s history under owner Massimo Cellino, with David Hockaday as head coach.
Leeds’ transfer business that summer may have delivered two club legends, as Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi signed; it also saw Leeds bring in a rogues’ gallery of forgettable names.
After a transfer embargo was lifted on the 1st July, Cellino wasted no time in packing the Leeds squad with a host of unfamiliar names from the continent as he plundered the Italian lower leagues for new signings.
Among the 11 permanent and nine loan signings that joined Leeds that season was Zan Benedicic, a Slovenian youth international who joined on loan from AC Milan.
Benedicic had made an impression in Milan’s reserve team and earned a call-up to Filippo Inzaghi’s pre-season squad, but left their tour to the United States without making an appearance to join Leeds on loan.
But, like so many of the players Cellino brought in that summer, he failed to make an impression with Leeds. He made his debut in the League Cup game against Accrington, in which Berardi was famously sent off for a flying tackle, and played just once in the league before a knee injury cut short his time in West Yorkshire.
Benedicic’s career drifted from there. He eventually returned to England, playing one game for Leyton Orient in the 2016/17 season before returning to Slovenia. Leeds will hope that Okafor can make more of an impression during his time with the club.
Roque Junior is another disastrous signing from AC Milan
In truth, Leeds have a poor track record when signing players from the Italian giants, as proven by Brazilian World Cup winner, Roque Junior.
Roque Junior joined the Whites on loan during the 2003/04 season, which saw them relegated from the Premier League, and looked like a fish out of water in the struggling Leeds side.
Although Roque Junior endeared himself to Leeds fans with two goals against Manchester United in the League Cup, the Brazilian was sent off during his home debut against Birmingham City, and Leeds conceded 25 times in his seven appearances for the club.
His loan was ultimately cut short with Leeds rooted to the bottom of the table, as an unhappy experience for both parties came to an abrupt end.
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