Leeds United made a string of huge financial and transfer missteps in the run-up to their 2004 relegation, with it largely to blame for how their stay in the Premier League ended.

David O’Leary had built a brilliant team capable of competing at the top end of the table, and they were a consistent fixture in European football.

So when he added Seth Johnson to his ranks, it seemed like another piece of the puzzle falling into place.

Signed as a young midfielder with an eye on both the present and the future, a £7m fee was large at the time.

There was a belief that in time he would more than repay this price tag, however, injuries struck.

The 42-year-old suffered throughout his time at Elland Road, and despite being at the club for four years, he only managed to play 58 times.

He cost the club £120k per appearance, and despite an average return of four goals and six assists, never really got going in Yorkshire.

To add insult to injury, the one-cap England international would be released 11 months early on a free transfer at the end of his miserable career for Leeds.

His stint at the club is widely regarded as one of the worst pieces of business in Premier League history, especially given how he oversaw the fall from a fifth-place finish in his first season, to relegation just three years later.

Speaking out on his time playing for the Whites, Johnson opened up on how injuries turned his dream move into quite the opposite.

He said: “I’d never really been injured before then, but I think I had seven or eight operations within four years. It was just a nightmare, I could never get a run of games going.”

As frustrating and unfortunate as it may have been, the fact of the matter was that he was a huge flop for Leeds.

For the money he spent, O’Leary got little to no return on what seemed like a promising coup at first.

The £7k-per-week Johnson will forever be remembered as one of many big blunders that contributed to the conditions surrounding their relegation. He was a truly awful signing.