Leeds United were left scrambling around on deadline day for Harry Wilson’s signature, only to see Fulham pull the plug despite signing two wingers of their own.

Leeds United and deadline day is a combination for chaos, with several examples in years gone by of the club frantically looking to complete business in the final hours of the window, often coming out with egg on their face.

2025’s deadline was no different, as Leeds were in a mad dash to thrash out an agreement with Premier League rivals Fulham over winger Harry Wilson.

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Leeds United failed with Harry Wilson deal as Fulham pulled the plug late on

Monday’s 7pm deadline brought pressure for Leeds’ recruitment heads, needing a right-winger through the doors to add an extra layer of creativity to Daniel Farke’s front lone after missing out on Facundo Buonanotte, who is surely already regretting his move to Chelsea.

Fulham’s Wilson was the man they turned to for final talks on deadline day, initially rebuffed with a loan approach, unsurprisingly knocked back with the Welshman into the final year of his contract and therefore going to leave for nothing if he was loaned out.

(Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge)

Leeds then continued talks towards a permanent deal as reports claimed United believed they had a sufficient offer on the table, signing deal sheets to take the process down to the wire, only for the Cottagers to pull the plug at the last minute.

Meanwhile, Wilson’s place in the Fulham squad has taken a serious blow with Fulham’s incoming business at the same time, signing Shakhtar Donetsk star Kevin and AC Milan’s Samu Chukwueze, two wingers.

Sources: Leeds United had Harry Wilson in sight for “months” despite deadline day chase

The club have since had to front up to the justified criticism that followed an unsuccessful and panicky deadline, but Wilson was actually someone on the club’s list of targets for some time, sources have revealed to LeedsAllOver.

Enquiries were made at different stages much earlier in the summer over the Wales international, but Fulham were unwilling at those points to negotiate a move for Wilson to join Leeds.

As a result, the reason for Leeds only being able to enter more advanced talks on Monday was due to Fulham’s own business to strengthen out wide, softening their stance on the 28-year-old and showing more willingness to enter concrete discussions.

Chukwueze and Kevin’s transfers were completed while their talks with Chelsea brought an agreement for teenager Tyrique George, but that latter transfer not happening ultimately sparked a re-think from Fulham on Wilson’s exit to Elland Road.

(REUTERS/Hannah Mckay)

George was all set to join Fulham from their West London rivals for a reported £22million fee, which should have paved the way for Leeds to get their man, but a deal with Chelsea collapsed in the 11th hour due to documents not being signed in time, leaving Fulham unwilling to green light Leeds’ transfer.

That failure to get George’s signature in turn prompted Fulham to backtrack on allowing Wilson a move to West Yorkshire, meaning he stays put at Craven Cottage, ironically facing Farke’s side next after the international break.

Leeds United left it too late to get Harry Wilson over the line

Of course, Fulham making this decision is what caused a deal to collapse on deadline day for Wilson, but the bigger picture is that it was left far too late, and Wilson’s decision isn’t an excuse for what unfolded.

He would have been a solid signing at the right price, adding a new dynamic to our attack, but he’s not the only player that could have done this.

For our talks over a winger to come down to the final afternoon of deadline day isn’t great, and leaving it so late has left us alarmingly short in the final third.

We still have plenty to be impressed with from this window, but that final piece of the puzzle could prove to be a really pivotal one we’re lacking.

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