Leeds United have missed out on some brilliant signings in recent years.
The likes of Josko Gvardiol and Rodrigo De Paul came ever so close to joining Leeds only for those deals to collapse.
Cody Gakpo is another player who very nearly came to Elland Road.
Cast your mind back to deadline day in the summer of 2022 and you’ll remember that Gakpo was a player Leeds were very keen on, but, frustratingly, the player opted to stay at PSV before joining Liverpool for £35m just six months later.
Speaking to ESPN, Gakpo has now opened up on his decision to stay at PSV, and he says he had a strange reason for sticking with the Dutch club.
Why Cody Gakpo rejected Leeds
Gakpo shared why he rejected Leeds, claiming that he’d pledged to join the club if he’d scored two goals in, what would be, his final game for PSV, but, instead, he scored a hat-trick that led to Gakpo staying.
“People might think I’m strange. I could go to Southampton, Leeds came into the race and PSV wanted me to stay. I presented the three options I had to God. If I scored once, I would go to Southampton. If I scored twice I would go to Leeds and if I scored three I would stay at PSV,” Gakpo said.
Gakpo’s decision worked out
As Gakpo says, his decision may have been a bit strange, but it worked out in the end.
Indeed, Gakpo staying at PSV proved to be a fantastic decision.
Now, the Dutch attacker is playing Premier League and Champions League football with Liverpool, while Leeds are in the Championship for the second straight season.
Gakpo’s reasoning for rejecting a move to Leeds may have been a bit strange, but, ultimately, it worked out well for the attacker as he’s now plying his trade for one of the biggest teams in the world.