Around 12 months ago a saga involving Samu Saiz was developing at Leeds United, with the playmaker forcing his way out of Elland Road and leaving a creative void in Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion-chasing squad.

Leeds fell away in the race for automatic promotion over the Easter Period and then crashed out of the play-offs in May, and had they retained the service of Saiz over the winter, who knows whether they would’ve secured Premier League football.

As it was, the 28-year-old joined Getafe on the first day of January, with Leeds announcing his departure on December 17^th.

In total, the Spanish playmaker played 58 times for Leeds, scoring 10 goals and registering 12 assists.

However, on the back of a goal and five assists in Bielsa’s opening six months with Leeds, Saiz was back on the plane to Spain, leaving the Whites to carry on their promotion surge without him.

Of course, Leeds’ season didn’t go the way they’d hoped, but it has to be said that Saiz’s career back in Spain hasn’t gone as he might’ve expected.

Getafe was his destination for the second-half of last season, but he managed only two starts in La Liga, with a further eight appearances coming from the bench and another couple of starts coming in the Copa Del Rey.

Saiz scored one goal – a consolation in a 2-1 defeat to Real Sociedad in April – failed to register an assist and picked up three yellow cards.

There was the option for Getafe to make Saiz’s loan with them permanent, but given his limited impact, that never materialised, which left the Spaniard in limbo heading into the 2019/20 campaign.

He was still contracted at Leeds, but there was no desire to reignite that relationship. Eventually, he linked up with Girona for an undisclosed fee.

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However, despite stepping back into the Spanish second-tier, Saiz’s struggles remain; he’s made 15 appearances, seven of which have been starts, registered two assists, but failed to score a single goal.

As you watch Saiz’s career trudge along, you start to wonder whether the 2017/18 – by far his best spell at Leeds – was just a flash in the pan.

His influence on the side waned under Bielsa when many thought he’d thrive, and since forcing his way back to Spain, he’s not rediscovered his spark.

That creative spark was missing at Leeds when the going got tough last season, but as we watch Saiz’s struggles continue now, the Whites march on and search for promotion.