Leeds chief Kinnear enjoys Raphinha joke in praising Orta | OneFootball

Leeds United chief Angus Kinnear praised the market work of sporting director Vitor Orta in his match programme notes on Saturday.

Kinnear is certain the Brazilian, Robin Koch, Rodrigo and Diego Llorente have all proved the director of football right in that regard.

“One of the key filters Victor and his team apply to our recruitment process is a projection on the speed of adaptation to the rigorous and style of the Premier League," he said.

“This was in place even when we were in the Championship (Patrick Bamford, Mateusz Klich and Jack Harrison being prominent examples), but was particularly vital in our first season back.

“We knew we were facing a 50 per cent statistical probability of immediate relegation, and so the margin for error in our summer trading was smaller than it will ever be.

“To a man, our new recruits have adapted effortlessly to their new environment with the possible exception of Raphinha, but once he finally gets going I still believe we might have a half-decent player on our hands."