Barry Douglas, a former left-back for Leeds United, offered his opinion on Jean-Kevin Augustin’s
disastrous loan spell with the team, which ultimately cost the Whites £40 million.
The fact that Marcelo Bielsa significantly improved the performance of so many players at Elland Road was one of his most spectacular achievements throughout his tenure at the club, which culminated in his promotion in 19/20.
However, Bielsa’s tenure at Leeds wasn’t entirely successful; there were a few Championship acquisitions that were a complete bust.
Following Eddie Nketiah’s return to Arsenal, Leeds faced pressure to add a striker to their roster during the January 2020 transfer window. Ultimately, they settled on Jean-Kevin Augustin, a Frenchman.
With a purchase commitment, the RB Leipzig player arrived on loan but only made three substitute appearances, failed to score any goals, and left before the season started in June.
Barry Douglas stated on Under The Cosh that he knew the striker would fail after just one training session:
We were doing one of these individual drills with him, which involved crossing and finishing. “Who’s this boy Augustin?” I asked my agent over the phone after that training. He said that he was well-liked.
“I’m telling you now, he won’t play for Marcelo; there is no chance,” I remarked. I simply observed his movements and demeanor. He didn’t play for Bielsa.
Leeds attempted to swerve the transfer based on the timing of his contract, not actually gaining promotion until after the initial loan agreement had ended at the end of June, even though he had only been signed on loan initially. This meant that Leeds’ agreement to sign the forward upon promotion came back to haunt them.
After RB Leipzig objected to Leeds’ attempt to exploit a loophole, a FIFA and Court of Arbitration for Sport appeal went in the German team’s favor, requiring Leeds to pay over £18 million for the striker they never actually acquired.
The Frenchman then filed a lawsuit against Leeds for lost earnings, won the appeal, and forced the Whites to pay about £24.5 million since he had a five-year contract of £93,000 per week. This meant the club had to pay over £40 million for a player who only made three games.
One of the rare bets made by Victor Orta that ended badly
At Leeds, Victor Orta enjoyed taking chances, and Augustin must rank among the worst transfers in football history, pound for pound.
The amount of money Leeds spent on a player who the team knew would fail right away is astounding and has caused the team to regress by years.
It was really detrimental to have to spend so much money with little chance of the player genuinely assisting us on the field.
Ao Tanaka Quiz: Can you predict Leeds’ standout midfield player with 100% accuracy?
