After managerial upheaval and a mediocre bottom-half finish in the Championship, another new manager was given the role of Leeds United manager ahead of the 2014/15 campaign.

That man was David Hockaday, he started the summer and was in charge for a number of new signings.

United were in need of some steel in their defence, and they got that when on August 12, 2014, Giuseppe Bellusci was signed by the club on an initial one-year loan deal.

The then 24-year-old added competition in defence with Jason Pearce and Scott Watton the only senior centre-backs at the club at the time.

Liam Cooper went on loan to Chesterfield and Bellusci was added to the side, to a fairly positive response from the Leeds United supporters.

Nicknamed ‘the warrior’ during his time in Italy, his debut for the Whites was held up due to a bank holiday in his native country, elongating international clearance.

He was at the club nine days before a permanent transfer was agreed, signing a four-year deal with the club.

Bellusci made his second appearance against Watford, and his performance was a sign of things to come.

Less than an hour into the match, he was shown a straight red card for being the last man and bringing down Fernando Forestieri.

Coming back from his ban, the defender netted his first goal for Leeds in a 3-1 win against Bournemouth; his free-kick would be a contender for the club’s goal of the season award that year.

Despite the goal, Bellusci’s erratic and overly aggressive style got found out right away and be quickly became a liability.

In his debut season at Elland Road, he was booked 13 times, and sent off twice missing nine games through suspension alone, scoring twice, however, did not soften the blow with his poor disciplinary record.

In the summer chairman Massimo Cellino said Bellusci would be staying with the club for a second season and it would be his last full year in Yorkshire.

He scored an own goal in the 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough on September 27, 2015.

Improving slightly on the season before, the defender managed not to get sent off once in 2015/16 but was booked precisely 13 times, the same as the previous year.

His Kamikaze defending saw him endure a spell in goal after his error cost goalkeeper, Marco Silvestri, his place in the team for the rest of the defeat to Rotherham as he was red carded.

Bellusci would spend the remainder of the game in goal and see a Greg Halford penalty go past him.

After a number of high-profile errors throughout his second season with Leeds, the fans were restless, and he was eventually dropped after the defender storming out of training when he would learn he was a substitute in a game against Hull.

He would make 31 error-ridden appearances for Leeds that season before a season-long loan move to Empoli in a year which they were relegated with Bellusci in the team.

Many thought this was the end of his United career, but under Thomas Christiansen, he was given a Leeds lifeline at the start of last season, despite looking for a way out of the club.

He was in a Leeds XI to take on Guiseley, in a friendly and he was subbed at half-time, just like ten other players.

The defender was jeered by club’s fans during the match, and the defender would tweet during the second half.

The responses were non-too kind with Bellusci escaping Elland Road in July of last year, moving to Palermo on a three-year deal.

Ending a car-crash three years at Leeds, garnered a positive reaction from the United fans. 

It was a move, on paper, that was meant to work out - his style of play was meant to be loved and cherished by the Leeds fans, and despite the initial favourable welcome, it was anything but.

Too many errors and a lack of discipline was enough for the fans to see beyond his technical failings and be soon became a scapegoat for their failures.

Bellusci to Leeds was one signing the fans were wrong to be happy about.