Leeds United announced the permanent signing of on loan winger Helder Costa from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £16 million on Tuesday, but the news was not met with unanimous support from their fan base.
The Whites are closing in on a long-awaited return to the Premier League, sitting three points clear of third placed Brentford in the Championship table ahead of their game in hand against Stoke City at Elland Road on Thursday afternoon.
Leeds have not played top flight football for 16 seasons, but getting there is not enough for Marcelo Bielsa and his staff, they want to stay there and establish themselves as a leading force in English football once again.
In order to do that, the Whites need to ensure their squad is as strong as possible, and making the temporary deals for players permanent will be a huge part of the process.
Costa arrived at Elland Road last July for the entirety of the ongoing campaign, and has gone on to make 43 appearances in what looks like being a promotion winning season, bagging four goals in that time.
The Portuguese star can be extremely exciting on his day, but he is yet to win over the entire Leeds support, some of whom have welcomed his permanent arrival, while others are not so sure the move is a good one.
Nevertheless, Bielsa is a fan of the 26-year-old Portugal international, and is delighted to get his man despite criticism of the move from some Whites’ supporters.
They believe his end product is not worthy of such a fee, and that he doesn’t stamp his authority on enough of the big matches the Whites are involved in.
That meant that when the Leeds fans took to Twitter to react to the confirmation of the move, there was something of a mixed reaction.
Here are some of their posts:
