A former Leeds United transfer target has revisited the story of the unusual reason that he turned down a potential move to the club before eventually coming to the Premier League.
Daniel Farke became the latest in a long line of Leeds United managers to be frustrated by the lack of attacking signings in the most recent summer transfer window.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Noah Okafor were Leeds’ main attacking signings this summer, with the focus being placed on adding a robust physical presence to Farke’s Premier League squad.
Jesse Marsch suffered a similar fate ahead of the 2022/23 season, which ultimately saw Leeds suffer relegation, as the club missed out on a string of attacking targets, including a long-running attempt to sign Charles de Ketelaere.
Cody Gakpo also rejected the advances of Victor Orta that summer, and the now Liverpool forward has retold the unique story of how he decided against a move to Elland Road.
Photo By Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty ImagesCody Gakpo revisits reasons for Leeds United rejection
In a recent interview with Discovery Plus, Netherlands international Gakpo revisited his unusual method for deciding whether or not to accept Leeds’ offer.
Gakpo, who eventually moved to the Premier League with Liverpool, explained that he put his decision down to divine intervention, basing it on how many goals he scored in a game for PSV.
He recalled: “There was interest from Leeds and Southampton, and obviously, I could stay at PSV. I was so focused on making the transfer two weeks earlier, and when it collapsed, I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’ I was very honoured by the interest of the other clubs. I started to pray and asked for signs.
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“I told myself, if I score three times, I will stay, two times, I would go to Leeds, and one time I would go to Southampton.
“That’s unusual, to be fair, but a desperate time for myself. I scored two, then I scored the third one, which was kind of an own goal or my goal, I didn’t know. I came off and said, ‘I scored two goals, so that’s me leaving.’ And he said if God wants you to stay, he will give that own goal as yours.
“Obviously, at the end of the game, I got the third goal, and I got my answer; it was really special.”
Photo by Domenic Aquilina/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesHow close did Cody Gakpo come to joining Leeds?
Gakpo’s lengthy flirtation with a move to Leeds is one of the great sliding doors moments in the club’s recent history, as the failure to get the deal over the line proved costly.
Having plundered 27 goals in 98 Premier League appearances, Gakpo has proven that he is capable of competing at the top level. He would have been a valuable addition to a Leeds squad that relied heavily on Rodrigo Moreno, having lost Raphinha in the summer.
According to journalist Rik Elfrink, in a post on social media site X (formerly Twitter) in 2022, Leeds went as far as to schedule a private jet to take Gakpo back to Leeds Bradford Airport to complete the deal.
However, the forward never boarded the plane, and Leeds missed out on their man. The rest is history, as the Whites paid the ultimate price.