Dan James, a transfer saga finally concluded

One of Leeds United’s most complicated and storied transfer sagas in recent memory has, finally, come to a close.

Dan James, to Leeds United, on transfer deadline day. There may never have been such a case of deja vu in world football.

Of course, this is something we have all seen before. Almost 1,000 days ago now, on the 2019 January deadline day, Leeds United had a bid of £7 million accepted for James, then of Swansea City.

The winger arrived in Leeds, completed his medical and media, and then was forced to wait. Swansea had gone dark, completely ignoring the increasingly desperate calls of Angus Kinnear and Victor Orta. Hours passed, patience faded, stress amplified.

Within the final hour of the transfer window, James started to sign paperwork in order to save some time. Swansea remained unresponsive. Despite a hurried application for a 15 minute extension, Leeds were unsuccessful. The clock struck 11, the deal had not been completed, and Dan James remained a Swansea player.

Daniel James deal is OFF. #lufc

— Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) January 31, 2019

The incompetence and uncertainty of Huw Jenkins and the Swansea board at the time had robbed Leeds of their player. It had stolen a project from Orta and reduced the Spaniard to tears of frustration. Leeds’ entire deadline day focus had been Dan James, and by the end, they had nothing to show for it.

Six months later, James made the move north of Wales, but instead of heading past the Pennines, he moved to Old Trafford for around £15 million. It seemed, right there, that any hope for James to arrive at Leeds United was completely lost.

Many think the winger was thrust into the scene far too early in Manchester. Still only 23, the then 21-year-old James had switched to one of Europe’s biggest clubs, with every set of eyes glaring at him in the hopes he would produce miracles to bring his new club back to the pinnacles of European football.

Gradually, he faded from the spotlight and, indeed, the first team. He still had his chances every now and again, and at times would display the starlet within him that had once earned him so much merit, but he could never truly find consistency as a Premier League player.

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There was always talk of James and Leeds, the two were seemingly forever going to be linked after what is now such an infamous deadline day in Leeds’ history. Rumours of James going on loan were met with rumoured Leeds interest, and so on.

At the dawn of the 2021/22 season, it appeared James would remain with Manchester United, with Ole Gunnar Solksjaer willing to give the winger a chance to fight for his place. The coming transfer window, though, would see the arrivals of Jadon Sancho and a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. If James struggled for a place in the team before, he was going to really struggle getting ahead of either of Manchester United’s new additions.

Leeds, all in all, had been fairly quiet in the summer. Yes, they signed Jack Harrison to a permanent deal and, yes, they had signed Junior Firpo, but they were practically necessities. Harrison was always going to sign and, whilst we didn’t know it would be FIrpo initially, Leeds were always going to go and buy a left-back, especially after the departure of Gjanni Alioski.

Rumours were abundant, with midfielders being the main cause of discussion. Before Firpo arrived, there was much conversation surrounding the left-back position, but most, if not all talk was complete fantasy.

It was clear Leeds would not be spending as they did last summer, where they splashed around £100 million on Premier League reinforcement. No-one was expecting that (or, at least, they shouldn’t have been). Even still, it was eerily quiet, and a slow start to the season didn’t help the nerves of the fans, arguably the most reactionary fanbase in the country.

Then, suddenly, Dan James’ name entered conversation once more. This though, was solid. There was concrete proof of Leeds interest, a value had been decided and a bid had been made. It felt as though within seconds, James had gone from a lost Leeds project to being on the first train northbound from Manchester Victoria.

✍️ #LUFC is delighted to ??????? confirm the signing of Dan James

— Leeds United (@LUFC) August 31, 2021

Just like that, he was a Leeds player. It almost didn’t seem real. James had become almost mythical to Leeds, a real fit for the ‘one that got away’ cliche.

It is probably fair to assume that, in his time at Elland Road, Bielsa has not wanted a player more than Dan James. His interest was relentless. It is clear that Marcelo has a solid idea as to where James will fit in the team and, as a by-product of that, where players will fit around him.

Now, £25 million is a sizable fee, that is fair enough. He becomes Leeds’ second most expensive player ever, and that is a pretty big label to shoulder for a young player.

Leeds though feel the fee is more than justifiable in today’s market. In a world where the likes of Joe Willock and Emi Buendia are moving for £25 million at the lowest, is it really that far of a reach to assume Leeds have paid a fair price? Bear in mind that this is not to throw shade at the aforementioned duo, it’s simply a needed comparison.

This move is more than a statement from Leeds, it’s infused with personal desire. Marcelo Bielsa, really, was never going to rest until he got his top target, and Orta was never going to forget the emotion he invested in the process to sign James all those months ago.

Fans are obviously conscious of the price tag, and that is a valid concern. Fans are perhaps more so concerned that Bielsa seems content with his fairly thin midfield. Now, Bielsa obviously knows far more about football than the Leeds fans, perhaps collectively, but the worry is still understandable.

It does pose the question though, where will Dan James fit? Presumably, he will start, it seems nonsensical to sign a player for such a fee and keep him benched. Who drops from the starting eleven though? Will Raphinha move to a central position? Will Harrison? The signing of James has certainly opened debate on such queries.

These questions, however, are for a different day. Now, fans and the club should, and will, revel in their new signing. Leeds have a new face, James has a new challenge, but perhaps most importantly, Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta have finally got their man.