A £10m target for Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United in 2019, Ireland...

Leeds United nearly acquired Dan James in January 2019 as they were determined to add a winger to support

Marcelo Bielsa’s bid for promotion to the Premier League.

The tale of Leeds’ near-miss with the Welsh speed machine will be familiar to all Leeds supporters. Swansea had

agreed to a £10 million deal, and James had even chosen a shirt number after completing a physical.

However, Swansea cut the cord and ceased taking calls as the deadline drew near. Until Bielsa eventually got his man

and signed James for £25 million in the summer of 2021, the deal was dead.

In January 2019, Leeds contemplated signing a number of top players, including the Welshman who will lead the

team’s attack before returning to the Premier League. It’s true that Callum O’Dowda was also being considered.

Robbie Keane strikes deal for Callum O’Dowda at Ferencvaros

Reports at the time said Leeds were interested in signing O’Dowda from Bristol City, an exciting Irishman

impressing at Ashton Gate. A £10m fee was touted for Leeds to sign the winger but it never materialised.

O’Dowda stayed with Bristol City that season, contributing to ten goals, as Leeds decided to pursue James instead.

O’Dowda, who is thirty years old and has thirty-one caps for Ireland, has moved unexpectedly to Hungary.

It is surprising until you discover that Robbie Keane, a former Leeds player and assistant manager, is the person in

command. Having led Ferencvaros to the championship last season, the iconic figure from Elland Road is drawing

attention in his capacity.

Keane is trying to bolster his team ahead of a Champions League qualifying match, and he has finalised an

agreement to bring O’Dowda to Hungary. Following his departure from relegated Cardiff City, O’Dowda shared on

Instagram.

His message included: “Having spoken to Robbie Keane about the club and its ambition, it made the decision even

easier. I can’t wait to give my all on and off the pitch.”

O’Dowda concluded the 2018–19 season with ten goals and ten assists. He stayed with Bristol City until the summer

of 2022, finishing his 176 appearances there with 10 goals and 16 assists.

In 2022, they moved to Cardiff, where they scored 14 more goals and provided 14 assists in 96 games. O’Dowda has

frequently returned to defence as a wing-back or left-back as he has gained experience.

He will now focus on getting ready for Ferencvaros’ Champions League qualification campaign, which starts at the

second stage. Later this month, they will play either Noah, an Armenian team, or Buducnost, a Montenegrin team.