Samu Saiz has today completed his move away from Leeds United, with the playmaker heading to Spain to link up with Girona on a permanent deal.
Leeds have known this day was coming for some time now, with Saiz heading back to Spain in early 2019 to play for Getafe on loan, with the Yorkshire Evening Post citing the player’s homesickness as the reason for his sudden departure.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side battled on without the 28-year-old playmaker, and now, his permanent exit has been finalised, with Saiz leaving Elland Road with 58 first-team appearances under his belt.
During that time there were 10 goals scored and a further 12 created in all competitions, with the playmaker really thriving in his 18 months in the spotlight.
With that in mind, we cast our eye over the Spaniard’s THREE best moments in a Leeds United shirt…
Hat-trick on debut
Way back on August 9th, 2017, Saiz made his debut at Elland Road in the League Cup against Port Vale.
That evening he announced himself to the Leeds faithful in emphatic style, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win.
After Saiz gave Leeds the lead, Michael Tonge equalised for Vale, but the 28-year-old stole the show in the second period.
Two goals in the space of three minutes put the tie in Leeds’ hands and that was the start of his popularity rising.
Sunderland away
Just 10 days after that impressive debut, Leeds were in Championship action at recently-relegated Sunderland, with Saiz again impressive.
The Spaniard was forming a strong understanding with Ezgjan Alioski and Pablo Hernandez in the attacking midfield spots of Thomas Christiansen’s 4-2-3-1, and this was maybe his most impressive outing in a Leeds shirt.
Saiz gave the Whites the lead on 21 minutes with a fine effort from a tight angle, before turning provider for Stuart Dallas as the game ticked into its final 15 minutes.
At that point Leeds were flying under Christiansen, with Saiz in electric form. It was little surprise that when he went off the boil, so did the team.
Marcelo Bielsa’s first Championship game
When Bielsa arrived in West Yorkshire, everyone was expecting Saiz to rip the Championship to pieces. That didn’t happen, obviously, but he started pretty well under the Argentine.
When Stoke City visited Elland Road back in early August, all eyes were on the Potters on their return to the Championship. However, they were met by a flying Leeds side who won 3-1 and really set the tone for both side's seasons.
Saiz was phenomenal that day, laying on Mateusz Klich’s opener with a perfect ‘no-look’ pass.
He had the Stoke midfield on strings and set the tone perfectly for Leeds’ promotion push. It’s a shame it didn’t work out under Bielsa, as this was a sign of what life could’ve been like.