Whites being rinsed by dud who takes up 11% of wage bill

With the dreaded international break currently underway, Leeds United boss Daniel Farke is likely to use this current halt to proceedings to take stock of his squad, following what has been a summer of upheaval at Elland Road.

Off the back of a miserable 2022/23 campaign that saw the Yorkshire giants slip back into the Championship – just three years on from sealing promotion – there was no doubt an expectancy that the club would struggle to keep hold of their star assets, particularly those with relegations clauses built into their contracts.

The Whites may not have been anticipating quite such a sizeable mass exodus following that return to the second tier, however, with 15 players having been moved on elsewhere amid the desire to continue competing in Europe’s top leagues.

Despite managing to keep hold of Italy international, Wilfried Gnonto – even after the teenager put in a transfer request amid interest from Everton – there were few others who did not see their wishes granted, with Farke now in charge of an almost wholly refreshed and refurbished outfit.

That is not to suggest that every unwanted asset was moved on during the recent window, however, with underwhelming left-back, Junior Firpo among those who were unable to find a new home, despite struggling to perform in recent seasons.

In truth, on the evidence of his on-field woes and hefty financial burden, the former Barcelona man has simply rinsed Leeds since his arrival back in the summer of 2021.

How much did Leeds pay for Junior Firpo?

At the time, it may have looked like something of a coup for Marcelo Bielsa and co to have snapped up the defender from Camp Nou, with the former Spain U21 international having previously shone during his prior stint at Real Betis – for whom he scored five goals and registered seven assists in just 43 appearances.

Signed for a relatively minimal fee of £12.8m, the attacking full-back was acquired amid the need to find a long-term solution on the left side of the defence, following the departure of Ezgjan Alioski on a free transfer.

With Stuart Dallas having also been something of a makeshift option in that role during the 2020/21 season, there was evidently a desperate need for reinforcement at left-back, with Bielsa’s side looking to build upon a solid ninth-place finish following their return from the Championship.

As it has proved, however, Leeds may be wishing they had invested their funds elsewhere rather than on the one-time Dominican Republic international – who was dubbed a “defensive liability” by journalist Juan Arango in Catalonia – such have been his woes in recent seasons.

How much does Firpo earn for Leeds?

While a victim of numerous, unfortunate injury setbacks in recent times, the 6 foot dud has hardly helped himself when he has taken to the field, with journalist Dean Jones suggesting earlier this year that he has had “had some difficulties in the Premier League“.

Pundit John Newsome has also been particularly critical of the defender’s performances during his stay at Elland Road, with the ex-Leeds man stating back in December:

“They signed Firpo, they put a lot of money into him. I don’t think he’s anywhere near good enough,”

With just two goals and four assists to his name in 52 outings to date, Firpo has hardly proven value for money in an attacking sense, while defensively he has also proven rather costly, in truth, notably giving away a penalty at the tail-end of last season in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle United following an “idiotic” handball – as per 90min’s Graeme Bailey.

Such lapses of concentration having seemingly been commonplace for the former Barca man of late, with it hard to justify handing him a rather hefty £60k-per-week wage, particularly when he can’t even stay fit long enough to be able to make an impact on the pitch.

How much has Firpo cost Leeds?

When taking into account that £60k-per-week salary – totalling roughly £6.2m to date – and his initial £12.8m transfer fee, the forgotten man has cost the club in the region of £19m over the last two years, with that likely to be viewed as money wasted by both the club and supporters.

The desire will likely be to get the 27-year-old off the books as soon as possible, with Capology revealing that he currently accounts for 11% of the total wage bill, due to his place as the third-highest earner among his teammates:

While that has been somewhat distorted due to the string of players who were shipped off to new homes this summer, it serves as yet another reminder of just how poorly run the Elland Road outfit has been in recent times – with the sooner Firpo moves on the better.

When does Junior Firpo’s contract expire?

Frustratingly, not only is the transfer window now at a close, but Firpo still has two years left to run on his existing deal at the club, ensuring it won’t be straightforward if Farke and co are to attempt to move him on in the near future.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano had indicated back in June that the Santo Domingo-born talent was in line to join the likes of Rodrigo, Jack Harrison and Brenden Aaronson by sealing a move away this summer, albeit with no such exit having occurred.

That failure to secure a move was likely impacted by the player’s current injury woes, with recent reports indicating that he is still facing two more months on the sidelines, having yet to feature so far this season.

Amid that spell on the treatment table, Firpo has revealed his desire to contribute to the team once he is back fit and firing, although, with the likes of Sam Byram and Leo Hjelde already at Farke’s disposal, a January sale should be the first consideration for the Leeds hierarchy.

It is fair to say that the 2021 arrival has rinsed the club for long enough…