Leeds United enjoyed a fine first season back in the Premier League after going 16 years without top-flight football.
Marcelo Bielsa’s attractive and unorthodox brand of football made the Whites a tough prospect for any side they faced, and despite not changing much about his Championship-winning side, he still managed a 9th-placed finish.
However, that summer he went on to spend big in the hopes of progressing his side even further. Perhaps with these deals, however, he may have flown too close to the sun.
One transfer in particular from that summer that stands out as exceptionally poor is the purchase of Dan James from Manchester United.
Following two mediocre seasons at Old Trafford, chairman Andrea Radrizzani saw fit to sanction a £25m acquisition for the Welsh winger.
He had scored just three times in the Premier League the season prior to the deal and unsurprisingly would barely improve upon this tally whilst at Elland Road.
Playing over double the amount of games he did during the aforementioned season, he only managed four goals this time as the Yorkshire avoided a narrow brush with relegation.
Jesse Marsch added comprehensively over the summer, with eight new permanent additions, and thus saw fit to offload the 24-year-old to Fulham on loan.
Having been at the club for just 57 weeks, wasting away on his £50k-per-week deal, in total he has cost the club around £27.8m - and counting.
It was always doomed to be a failure of a signing, and with the added financial issues the deal threw up, journalist Tom Dutton was seemingly correct in his assessment of the forward:
“Dan James is a pace merchant with poor final ball and awful decision-making. Not sure how he ever got a move to United.”
Many will now be questioning how he got a subsequent move to Leeds, as he continues to suffer at Craven Cottage. Just three appearances so far, with no goal contributions.
Marsch will be hoping this loan can spark a career in Yorkshire for the speedster, but will not expect much from a man who has drained the club thus far.