Phil Sumbler
Deadline day can throw out some strange consequences when the dust has settled and that is certainly now the position that Leeds United midfielder Darko Gyabi finds himself in after the Swans failed to complete a move at the last minute for him.
On a busy day in SA1 that saw four arrivals it was the lack of a new midfielder that was the one thing that we would have wanted to achieve but failed on and it has now been confirmed that it was not for the want of trying.
The reports about a move for Gyabi surfaced on Friday afternoon and, as we reported at the time, was one of those links that just came out of the blue which can so often happen on a deadline day.ย And, as with many out of the blue links, you often wonder of the accuracy of the reports and how close a deal really is.ย ย The simple fact is that unless it has been worked on for some time prior to those reports the rush to get anything completed may fail to beat the deadlines set down by the football authorities.
Well the truth in the deal (or non deal as it happened) has now been confirmed by press reports in Leeds which say that “It’s now become public knowledge that Leeds were happy to let Darko Gyabi head out on loan on transfer deadline day, with no doubt some frustration that deal didn’t get done.”
That failure to get a deal done has left the midfielder in a position where first team football at Elland Road will be exceptionally limited in the first half of the season and surely leaves all signs to point to a move away from the club in January – by loan or by otherwise.
Despite that failure to get a deal done it was an eventful week leading up to the deadline for Gyabi with French club Valenciennes making a ยฃ5m offer for the player.ย ย Leeds though placed that deal on hold as they tried to get Iliav Gruev and Glen Kamara over the line which they did on both counts.ย ย That led Daniel Farke to be happy to let Gyabi go on loan and all suggestions were that he was going to head to Fleetwood on loan.
That was until the Swans reports materialised and he was linked with a move to SA1 with the press reporting a “hijacking” of the Fleetwood deal to bring him to South West Wales.ย Quite why our loan – or even the Fleetwood one – failed to be completed remains to be seen but it’s worth retaining the name of Gyabi on the radar of the fans just in case we decide to resurrect the interest in the player when the January window opens.
The Swans do remain very much in a position where midfield reinforcements are needed and surely – Gyabi or otherwise – that has to become a very high priority when the next window opens.
