At this stage, Leeds United supporters really don’t need another painful run-down of who they could and perhaps should have signed in previous transfer windows.
Yet, in a week in which one-time Leeds target Kvicha Kvaratskhelia swapped Napoli for Paris Saint-Germain, two centre-forwards who also found themselves reportedly on the Elland Road radar both scribed their name into Champions League folklore during A] one of the tournament’s greatest ever games and, B] during an almighty shock on Wednesday night in the Netherlands.
24 hours earlier, Vangelis Pavlidis not only netted a remarkable hat-trick against the mighty Barcelona, he also struck the third-fastest treble in Champions League history.
Now, the Benfica striker certainly had a bit of a helping hand.
On a night when Wojciech Szczesny maybe proved why he should have stayed retired – brought back by Barca due to Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s injury – Pavlidis got his name on the scoresheet three times before the half-hour mark in Lisbon.
Vangelis Pavlidis and Santiago Gimenez show Leeds United what they maybe could have had
Pavlidis and Benfica would eventually be overshadowed by Raphinha, of course. The former Leeds United talisman led a stunning Barca fightback, a 5-4 win secured by a superb solo Raphinha effort in stoppage time.
But Vangelis Pavlidis was linked with Leeds himself at one point. Back in the summer of 2023, to be precise when he was banging in the goals for AZ Alkmaar and before securing a £15 million switch to Portugal.
One year after Leeds reportedly expressed an interest, reports linking Santiago Gimenez with a move to Yorkshire emerged.
And, one day after Pavlidis announced himself on Europe’s biggest stage, Gimenez did something very similar as Feyenoord stunned Bayern Munich with an immediately iconic 3-0 win in front of a barely-believing De Kuip crowd.
According to reports from his native Mexico, Leeds United had planned to sign Feyenoord striker Gimenez if they’d beaten Southampton in the play-off final last season. They didn’t, of course, and thus the £34 million-rated Central American centre-forward remained out of reach.
TBR Football understands that Gimenez is now bound for Italian giants AC Milan.
And Gimenez will move to the San Siro having outshone Harry Kane in a performance which will go down in Feyenoord folklore. Two emphatic finishes – one from open play, one from the penalty spot – and Gimenez now has a goal-per-game record in the Champions League to show for his efforts.
Santiago Gimenez heading to AC Milan after Bayern Munich obliteration
“We fought and played well on the counter. You see the stadium and the fans, who always motivate us. I want to thank God for this,” Gimenez told reporters after taking his tally to 64 goals in 104 Feyenoord appearances.
“The only one who knows my future is God. I put everything in his hands. I am in love with Feyenoord, from the first day I am here. I get a lot of support here and want to give the fans goals back.”
As ever with the top talent in Dutch football – take Pavlidis, for instance, and another one-time Leeds target in Cody Gakpo – there comes a time when a big fish is in need of a larger pond.
Santiago Gimenez, if he wasn’t at that point already, certainly is now after battering Bayern Munich on a European stage.
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