Victor Orta is a polarising figure at Leeds United.
Some supporters love how passionate the director of football is, and they think it’s great to have someone in his role who genuinely cares about the club, while other sections of the fanbase previously thought he’s an inept member of staff who hasn’t proven his credentials.
To be fair, the line is probably somewhere in between those two viewpoints.
Orta has got a lot wrong since taking up his role at Elland Road, bringing Eddie Nketiah on loan this summer proved to be a bad move after he was quickly recalled, and the £15m signing of Helder Costa is beginning to look a little worrying – the Portuguese winger has contributed to just four goals in 30 games.
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However, despite the Spaniard often receiving criticism from the fanbase, the squad he has helped build are second in the Championship, but it’s what happens over the next few months that will define his legacy.
If Patrick Bamford continues in his current vein of form, then you have to say that it’s unlikely we’ll see Leeds in the Premier League next season.
A lot is riding on Jean-Kevin Augustin’s ability to come into the first-team and fire the Whites over the line, and if he can do that, Orta will be seen as a genius for bringing in the perfect striker in January.
However, if Augustin continues his run from 2019, where he only scored one goal in the whole calendar year, the man in charge of transfers will rightfully be scrutinised by supporters once again.
No matter whether United manage to go up or not, the January transfer window will certainly be seen as decisive, and the Director of Football’s legacy at the club will be defined by how Augustin fares over the next few months.
Will Orta go down as the man who finally got things right to get Leeds over the line? Or will he be remembered as the director who simply couldn’t sign the right players? Only time will tell.
In other news, Leeds could fix two problems with one simple switch.
