In January, Leeds United secured the signature of Japan international Yosuke Ideguchi. The central midfielder arrived from Gamba Osaka for a reported fee in the region of £500,000. However, he did not stick around at Leeds for long.
He was sent out on loan to Cultural Leonesa in Spain. Something of a sister squad because of their links to Leeds director Ivan Bravo it was felt the Japan international was better off in Spain’s second tier.
That did not prove to be the case. Ideguchi struggled for regular football in Spain and his loan club were relegated from the second tier. It meant Ideguchi missed out on a place in the Japan squad for the World Cup this summer.
This season, it appears first-team football will again be hard to come by at Elland Road. Marcelo Bielsa has even suggested a loan deal might be in Ideguchi’s future.
But if that is the case, Leeds must keep him in England.
“We haven’t made a decision yet. By the end of August the club will take the best decision for the player.”
There will be plenty of Championship and League One teams after a player of Ideguchi’s quality before the end of the month.
The 21-year-old needs to start learning how to play the game in England. It is a tough task transitioning from football in the J-League to the Championship, but having him play in Spain again will do little to teach him the ropes.
Leeds must find a team in the UK to take Ideguchi on board. Then he will be on the track to a shot at Leeds in the near future.