Leeds United avoided relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2021/22 campaign as they finished 17th in the table under Jesse Marsch.
The Whites parted ways with Argentine head coach Marcelo Bielsa back in February of this year and his successor guided the team to safety, three points clear of Burnley in 18th.
Despite their battle to avoid the drop, Victor Orta opted against making a splash in the January transfer window and did not attempt to improve the first-team by dipping into the market, despite reports linking them with players.
The Daily Mail named Norwich City's Todd Cantwell as one of the club's top targets to bolster their squad. Journalist Dean Jones backed this up and revealed that it was not the first time the Whites had looked at the winger, telling GIVEMESPORT:
"Leeds were very keen on him last summer and maybe the window before that as well, he is someone who’s been on their radar for a long time.”
It was reported that Norwich were looking for a fee of up to £20m to allow the attacker to leave on a permanent basis, with Yellows legend Chris Sutton claiming that he was "getting above his station" at the time, but they failed to attract a suitor. He eventually ended up joining Championship side Bournemouth on loan until the end of the 2021/22 campaign, with the Cherries holding an option to sign him permanently.
Cantwell started eight league matches for Scott Parker's side as they won automatic promotion to the Premier League, failing to register a goal or assist.
Bournemouth opted not to exercise their option to bring him back to the Vitality in the summer of 2022 and he returned to Carrow Road to link up with Dean Smith's squad again.
The 25-year-old lightweight, who has lost 75% of his aerial battles this term, has been actively involved in their current campaign in the Championship. He has started six of their nine matches, coming on as a substitute in the other three, and has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.97 - seventh highest within the Norwich team.
Although his performances have been promising, he has not produced a single goal or assist and has not been directly involved in a goal since 2020/21.
He is out of contract at the end of the season and will be free to negotiate a pre-contract deal with foreign teams from January onwards, which means that the Canaries are at risk of losing him for nothing in 2023 as it stands.
Therefore, Orta dodged a bullet back in January by refusing to pay £20m to land him as he has gone on to struggle to make a big impact in the Championship and could now leave for nothing just 18 months later.
That may have been £20m down the drain based on his disappointing return in front of goal over the last season-and-a-bit and the Leeds chief should be patting himself on the back for not being drawn into a rash swoop for the former England under-21 international.