The curious case surrounding Bamba Dieng became one of the most intriguing stories of transfer deadline day. Dieng looked set to jet to Leeds to complete a transfer to the Premier League after agreeing personal terms with the Whites.
Meanwhile, Leeds United were in the process of allowing Daniel James to leave for Fulham on a season-long loan. In the first twist of a rollercoaster saga, OGC Nice hijacked United's bid, leaving Dieng's private jet unmoved on the runway in the South France.
He rushed to Nice to sign on the dotted line but failed his medical in a dramatic turn of events. The transfer wasn't necessarily dead as Nice had the chance to sign the Senegal international by activating the 'joker rule'
In the end, neither party could reach an agreement and Dieng had to return to Olympique de Marseille an unwanted man. L'Equipe claimed earlier this month that Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp had offered him an escape route but Dieng failed to respond to their approach.
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Dieng has been exiled from the Marseille squad with Igor Tudor yet to even name the 22-year-old on the bench this season. He has featured twice for Senegal during the latest international break but his lack of game time could even harm his World Cup prospects this winter.
Tudor has taken steps to reopen the door to Dieng at Marseille. The Marseille boss said before the international break: "If I have to use one word to describe him, it's been 'a 'complicated' summer for him. But he's really a wonderful, very nice person. He is training and is now part of the group."
L'Equipe (via Sport Witness) has described how Dieng 'sometimes cried with incomprehension and rage' following his nightmare summer but his return now looks a real possibility, at least for the time being.
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