Middlesbrough: Victor Orta almost brought future Leeds United cult hero to the Riverside | OneFootball

Mateusz Klich signed for Leeds in 2017, but had circumstances been different, Victor Orta may have brought him to Middlesbrough instead...

Victor Orta helped bring Mateusz Klich from FC Twente to Leeds United in the summer of 2017. However, the Spaniard almost convinced the future Whites cult hero to sign for Middlesbrough instead.

Certain players just fit certain clubs, so much so that it's difficult to imagine them in another team's shirt, let alone one from the same division.

Klich firmly falls into that category with Leeds United, as the combative and industrious midfielder shot to cult figure status during his memorable spell at Elland Road between 2017-2023.

So much was he revered by the club and its supporters, that the Polish international was given a guard of honour for his final appearance as a Leeds player in a 2-2 draw with West Ham in January 2023, before he departed for MLS side DC United.

He was Leeds' director of football Victor Orta's first signing in his boardroom role at the club, but had he made a different decision in his career that summer, he could've also ensured Klich would do the same...

Victor Orta almost convinced Mateusz Klich to sign for Middlesbrough before moving to Leeds United

In the final weeks of the 2016/17 season, Middlesbrough were a club that was rapidly taking on water in the Premier League, as they battled to stay in the top-flight.

Over at Leeds United, the Whites were about record their best finish in the Championship (7th) since the 2010/11 season, and were a club that looked to be heading firmly in the right direction once again.

It was in these dying weeks of the season that Orta, then head of recruitment at Middlesbrough, had picked up the phone to Klich in an attempt to lay the groundwork for a move to the Riverside Stadium in the upcoming summer transfer window.

That's exactly what he achieved, as revealed by Klich himself. Speaking in a 2020 question and answer session on Leeds' Facebook page via Teesside Live, the Pole confessed to almost making the switch to Teesside thanks to Orta's sales pitch.

Klich said: "I got an offer from Middlesbrough because Victor (Orta) was in Middlesbrough. I said, ‘Yes, we can consider it’.

"And then he called me that the plan had changed and I got an offer from Leeds United so I was more happy because obviously Middlesbrough was Premier League but you knew they were going down and Leeds is a bigger club.”

Klich may never have donned Leeds shirt if Orta hadn't of made Elland Road switch

However, once Middlesbrough's season had concluded and their Premier League relegation was confirmed, Orta vacated his role at the Riverside, leaving a potential deal for Klich firmly up in the air.

Just a week after leaving Boro, Orta took up the role of director of football at Elland Road, and immediately got back on the phone to Klich to once again discuss a summer transfer, this time to Leeds United.

He was sold, and so a deal understood to be worth £1.5m was completed with FC Twente to bring the midfielder to the club.

Despite enduring a slow start to his Leeds career, which saw him make just nine appearances in his first season before going out on loan to FC Utrecht for the second half of the campaign, it wouldn't be long before he'd evolve into a key player for the Whites.

The arrival of Marcelo Bielsa in June 2018 saw Klich take his game to a new level, and playing in a slighly more advanced role alongside Kalvin Phillips, he became 'El Loco's' creative cog in the Leeds engine room.

10 goals and eight assists in 46 Championship appearances (excluding play-offs) during the 2018/19 season saw him establish himself as one of the best players in the division at that time, and got him started on his way to becoming an Elland Road hero.

Another highly impressive campaign in the 2018/19 season saw Klich once again play a vital role in a side that won promotion to the Premier League. He also broke the Leeds United club record for the most consecutive appearances that year with 82.

After seeing his role diminish towards the end of his time with Leeds, he decided to call time on his career with the club in January 2023. But whilst his role in the squad may have lessened, the bond and the admiration he had from Whites supporters never faded.

Middlesbrough may have suffered serious Klich regret if it wasn't for Jonny Howson signing instead

Missing out on a top quality player like Klich would often be the cause for major frustration for a club, but for Middlesbrough, they were still able to strike gold elsewhere.

In fact, it was a former Leeds United central midfielder that was signed instead, as Jonny Howson completed a £6m move to Teesside just two weeks after they'd missed out on Klich.

The evergreen midfielder has since gone on to make well over 300 appearances in a Boro shirt, and has been captaining the side for a number of years. He's without doubt one of Middlesbrough's finest investments in recent times, and as of the 2024/25 season, he's still playing an important role at the Riverside under Michael Carrick.

Therefore, when Boro supporters, and indeed the club's decision makers look back on the summer of 2017, there will be no regrets over missing out on Klich, as they found their midfield stalwart of the future with Howson instead.