Leeds United had a lucky escape after losing £2.75m transfer battle to Derby County | OneFootball

FLW look back in time to Florian Jozefzoon's switch from Brentford to Derby County after turning down Leeds United.

Leeds United dodged a bullet by missing out on winger Florian Jozefzoon when moving to Derby County from Brentford in the summer of 2018.

Jozefzoon began his career at Ajax, making limited appearances before moving to RKC Waalwijk and later fellow Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven. At PSV, he found more success but was often used as a rotational option.

His next step was a move to Brentford in the Championship in 2017, where he gained attention with his dribbling ability and versatility on the flanks. Jozefzoon’s performances helped Brentford push for a play-off spot, and he scored eight goals across 62 appearances.

His speed made him a sought-after player, even if his output was not the most impressive in the Championship, having also notched a further 10 assists during his spell in West London.

Derby County signed Florian Jozefzoon after pipping Leeds United to his services

In the summer of 2018, Derby secured Jozefzoon’s signature for a reported fee of £2.75 million, signing him to a three-year contract. They had previously had an opening bid of £1.5 million rejected, but were not the only interested party that summer.

Leeds were also keen on the winger and matched the second bid, but Derby, under Frank Lampard, acted quickly to beat their Championship rivals to the deal.

Jozefzoon’s potential to add pace and creativity to Derby's promotion push was a key selling point, and it felt like a coup at the time, especially with Leeds in the hunt.

His previous work under Thomas Frank at Brentford made him a promising, if not refined player, but Leeds ultimately missed out on him after Derby's aggressive approach in the market.

Coincidentally, he made his debut on 11 August in a 1-4 loss against Marcelo Bielsa's side at Pride Park.

Despite the fee paid and the expectations following the switch, Jozefzoon’s time at Derby was extremely underwhelming.

He struggled for consistency and only showed glimpses of the attributes that attracted Derby in the first place, and although his speed and dribbling were assets in moments, his impact was often fleeting, with many frustrating performances overshadowing the few moments of brilliance.

Over his three-year stay, Jozefzoon made just 48 appearances, scoring just three times with a further two assists, and on 15 October 2020, he was sent out on loan to Rotherham United, where he also failed to shine.

His departure at the end of his contract marked the end of a move that, from Derby’s perspective, was largely a waste, as they never saw the return on investment they had hoped for.

On 14 June 2021, it was announced that he would leave Derby at the end of the season, following the expiry of his contract, making the outlay of just under £3 million a poor deal for the club in a string of similar transfer moves in that period for the club. He is now a free agent at 33, having struggled for form and consistency ever since.

After missing out on Jozefzoon, Leeds considered other wingers, such as Harry Wilson and Harvey Barnes as alternatives.

Barnes even went as far as choosing a shirt number before opting to join West Brom instead, in a dramatic twist that left Leeds scrambling for options.

Leeds, under Victor Orta’s guidance and with Bielsa's approval, eventually landed on Jack Harrison, which turned out to be a fortunate outcome despite earlier frustrations.

Harrison initially signed on loan from Manchester City, proved to be a solid acquisition in his first season, with a steady number of goals and assists but as a perfect fit into Bielsa's intense man-to-man system out of possession.

Over the next few seasons, his consistent performances on the flank helped Leeds’ promotion push and cemented his place as a key player in the Premier League as well, with Leeds going on to make that a permanent switch eventually from Man City.