Ian Poveda and Helder Costa are facing an uncertain few weeks at Leeds United as the summer transfer window approaches its climax. Both Poveda and Costa are down the pecking order and the Whites are thought to be keen on offloading the pair this month as Jesse Marsch’s first-team squad for the 2022-23 campaign continues to take shape.
Neither player travelled with the Whites on their pre-season tour of Australia with Marsch making the decision to leave them to train at Thorp Arch. They weren’t the only two not picked for the trip, with the likes of Jamie Shackleton, who has since joined Millwall on loan, and Lewis Bate staying at home, too, but their omissions appeared to tell supporters all they needed to know about the respective standings of Costa and Poveda at Elland Road.
As a result, it came as quite a surprise to see both men named on the bench for Sunday’s clash with Cagliari, but Marsch never looked their way, preferring to give his starting XI a full 90 minute run-out before the Premier League gets underway this weekend. That decision ensured that neither Costa nor Poveda saw a minute of pre-season action this summer.
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Nevertheless, their presence in the squad prompted journalists to ask the head coach about their futures.
“I think they’ve done a really good job with the uncertainty of the situation, working hard in pre-season and being part of the group,” Marsch said. “I don’t know, we’ll see how that moves forward.”
After dropping out of Marcelo Bielsa’s plans last season, Costa, who is represented by Jorge Mendes’ agency, spent last season on loan at Valencia. The winger made 22 appearances for the La Liga club, but struggled to make a lasting impact under Pepe Bordalas and lost his place in the side after Christmas.
He returned to West Yorkshire for the start of pre-season, but he has been unable to work his way back into the Elland Road fold and the additions of Brenden Aaronson, who could start on the right on Saturday, and Luis Sinisterra have hardly helped his claim. The same can be said for Poveda, who spent a chunk of last season on loan with Blackburn Rovers.
Poveda broke his ankle in November while playing for Rovers and subsequently returned to Thorp Arch to go through his rehabilitation process. As such, Marsch got the chance to see him in action on the training field towards the end of the campaign and the head coach spoke highly of him, too, before allowing him to return to Ewood Park to see out the season.
However, with suitors in Segunda Division, Major League Soccer and the Championship, Leeds are thought to be keen to move him on either on loan or permanently.
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