Leeds United: Strange Neil Warnock signing was one to seriously forget: View | OneFootball

Habib Habibou was the final signing for Leeds United during the January transfer window of the 2012/13 season under Neil Warnock.

The imposing 6ft4in front man signed for Leeds from Belgian club SV Zulte Waregem, initially on loan with a view to a permanent deal at Elland Road, after the then 25-year-old had scored 20 goals in 57 league appearances during his time with the Belgian side.

Thankfully, that option wasn’t ever taken up and Habibou returned to Belgium that same summer, with Habibou making just four appearances for Leeds and failing to ever appear like a player who could make the grade in the second tier of English football.

He came with an interesting reputation, after Leeds fans found out that, during a Zulte-Waregem game, Habibou had grabbed and thrown a duck over advertising hoardings because it had wandered onto the field.

Habib Habibou's Leeds career

It speaks volumes that the Central African Republic international is more known for throwing a duck over advertising hoardings than he is for his actual footballing ability during his time in West Yorkshire after one of the most forgettable loan stints in Leeds' recent history.

It's a name which Leeds fans will want to forget about after a torrid season for the club, finishing 13th in the Championship after multiple big-player exits in the years preceding 2012, with the likes of Max Gradel, Jonny Howson, Robert Snodgrass and other core members of the League One promotion side departing.

Luciano Becchio remained, but was sold in January to Norwich City after an incredible first half of the season in the second tier, with Steve Morison coming the other way as part of the swap, but it left Leeds in need of firepower, which they had hoped Habibou would help to resolve and push for a play-off place.

Originally, it seemed as if Warnock and co. had pulled off an absolute masterstroke - signing a striker who had scored 15 goals in 31 starts for Belgian side Zulte Waregem. The PSG youth prospect made his debut for Leeds in a 1-0 defeat against Cardiff City, coming on as a second-half substitute, leaving Leeds fans optimistic after what was a fairly decent cameo.

After that, however, the Habibou went on to struggle, making just one start for Leeds, failing to find the back of the net in a total of four appearances for the Whites. The next two games after that clash against Cardiff came in the dying embers of games against Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace, where he made no impact.

He was an unused substitute in 11 games after his loan spell, and was not involved in the squad at all for three fixtures, but was handed a start against Huddersfield Town, albeit struggling in a 2-1 defeat at Elland Road during the opening 58 minutes, and amassed just 77 minutes of action in the Championship across those appearances.

Habibou's post-Leeds career

Leeds had the option to make the deal permanent but were always going to opt against it after he was unable to oust Morison or Ross McCormack from the starting XI, and instead he embarked on a nomadic career with clubs in France, Turkey, Qatar, Israel, Belgium, and Romania once again, before retiring in 2020 at the age of 33.

After moves to Gent, Rennes, Gaziantepspor, Lens, and Qatar SC failed to work out, the 37-year-old then moved to Israeli side Maccabi Petah Tikva in 2018/19, but he could not nail down a home with regular football, and continued to be a journeyman.

Habibou returned to Belgium with K.S.C. Lokeren Oost-Vlaanderen before quickly departing for FC Politehnica Iași in Romania, which became his final club before retirement. Although impressing at Gent briefly, he would never truly recapture his early-career form from the days with Zulte Waregem and Charleroi.