Leeds United looked to have uncovered another potential gem when Ian Poveda joined from Manchester City back in 2020 but his lack of appearances at Elland Road since suggests that he has rinsed the club of a salary.
How has Ian Poveda performed at Leeds?
The winger, who had previously spent time at Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona, joined the Yorkshire outfit on a four-and-a-half-year deal in January 2020, having failed to make the grade in Pep Guardiola's side.
He would go on to make just four appearances in Marcelo Bielsa's Championship title-winning side that season, which perhaps did not bode well for his chances of making it as a Premier League regular in the future.
However, he did muster 16 appearances in all competitions the following campaign but failed to contribute a single goal or assist, averaging a woeful 6.23 rating from WhoScored across his 14 substitute appearances in the Premier League.
In fact, Poveda has managed just one league start in his three-and-a-half-year spell at Elland Road, as he has spent the last two seasons out on loan in the Championship, where his performances have done little to suggest that he could still make it at Leeds.
Last year saw the young winger manage one goal and two assists in just ten second-tier outings for Blackburn Rovers, while he has two goals and two assists in all competitions this season for struggling Blackpool.
While he has caught the eye of manager Mick McCarthy, Poveda is 23 now and looks unlikely to displace the likes of Jack Harrison or Luis Sinisterra at Elland Road, while young talents such as Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto have clearly progressed far quicker than the 2020 signing.
McCarthy said: "I think he wasn’t that consistent and I don’t think he’d been that good and it can be difficult with loan players.
“They come in and if they’re not playing, they think ‘why should I be here?’ and it affects the performance. I think when they went to Spain, he’s really knuckled down and what I’ve seen of him in training is different class He really is a good footballer. He’s got a lot to offer us.”
While he might be starting to find his feet in the Championship, one league start in nearly four years speaks for itself, and Gracia should look to sell the £8.2k-per-week Poveda permanently this summer rather than allowing him to continue rinsing chairman Andrea Radrizzani.