I was a coin toss away from joining Leeds United but thank God I'm now scoring goals for Liverpool
The late decision kicked off one of the most chaotic Leeds United transfer sagas in recent memory.
Cody Gakpo has revealed he was ‘at peace’ with the prospect of joining Leeds United in 2022 before a post-match decision changed his mind at the last second.
Gakpo was on the radar of several Premier League clubs ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, with Manchester United first eyeing the Dutchman before Southampton saw an initial bid rejected. Jesse Marsch was in the market for a versatile attacker and set his sights on PSV’s promising youngster, who had registered 12 goals and 13 assists in 27 league games the prior season.
Victor Orta flew out to the Netherlands late in the window as optimism grew over a move, but the Whites sporting director at the time flew back empty-handed, with reports suggesting Gakpo had U-turned late on and decided to stay at PSV. The winger has since revealed it was down to what he believed was a message from God and has detailed again just how close he was to joining Orta on that plane back to West Yorkshire.
“Then in the summer of 2022, [Manchester] United went for Antony. I was like, What should I do? At this point I could go to Leeds, Southampton, or I could stay at PSV,” Gakpo told The Players’ Tribune this week. “I prayed, and I asked God for guidance. But you see, I had to make sure I got his message.
“So I said, ‘If I score only one time, I’ll go to Southampton…. If I score two times, I’ll go to Leeds…. If I score three times, I’ll stay’. The next day we played, and I scored twice. I was also involved in a third goal - and at first, it was called as an own goal. Then I was subbed out. So, two goals, right? I thought, ‘Ah, OK, it’s Leeds then’. I was at peace with my decision.
“As I was sitting on the bench, I told my friend, Jordan Teze, who now plays for Monaco, the whole story. He was like, “If God wants you to stay, that own goal will be awarded to you.” It was like a coin toss, waiting to see what they decided. It could have gone either way! But after the game, they gave me the goal. I scored three, so my fate changed. I stayed at PSV.”
Gakpo’s decision to turn Leeds down led to one of the more chaotic transfer sagas in recent memory, with Orta turning attention to Senegal forward Bamba Dieng. Andrea Radrizzani prematurely welcomed the striker to Elland Road just a few hours before the deal collapsed, with Dieng reportedly refusing to board a plane to England before eventually failing a medical at OGC Nice.
Leeds then brought forward a planned future offer for Willy Gnonto, signing him as an 18-year-old for around £4.3million. That move has worked out in the long-term but fans have long been left thinking how the 2022/23 campaign might have gone, had they got Gakpo instead.
The forward enjoyed another strong few months at PSV but it was his performances for the Netherlands during the 2022 World Cup that really caught the eye, with Liverpool going on to sign him for around £35m the following January. And now the 25-year-old is one of Europe’s most in-form players, scoring regularly for a Reds side who are top of the Premier League and Champions League.
“It’s a funny story,” Gakpo added of his nearly move to Leeds. “But in a way, that’s a really important piece of the puzzle. Thank God I stayed because that allowed me to play in the World Cup, which led to Liverpool.”