Leeds United returned to winning ways as they went past Queens Park Rangers at home in the latest round of fixtures in the Championship. Another good news for the Whites is that Pablo Hernandez got a little cameo in the end and he should be ready to replace Helder Costa in the upcoming games.
Costa’s run-in into the first team has been a significant disappointment. United are set to sign him permanently for £15m next summer once his one-year loan spell expires. In the first few months, the Portuguese winger was only able to feature from the bench. However, an injury to Hernandez gave him the chance to shine and play consistently for quite a few games.
Whelan gives a review on Costa’s performance
But, the former Monaco winger didn’t grab his chances, and he was average at best in most of his appearances. Former Leeds United striker and BBC commentator Noel Whelan believes that Costa has been shocking with his performances of late.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said, ”He’s not that player that’s gliding past defenders, giving them a torrid time over 90 minutes, taking the game by the scruff of the neck. A player of that sort of quality and of that sort of hype should be an absolute standout. He’s just kind of drifting through games. He’s been shocking at times and non-existent in games.”
Why has the bar been set high for Costa?
There have been some flashes of what he can produce but overall as Whelan mentioned, he has just been drifting through games. As far as his performances are concerned, Whelan’s been a bit too harsh in our opinion. However, the fact that Costa has come for big money and he is a proven player at this level is what has set the bar high for him. According to those standards then, it could be claimed that Costa has been poor so far.
The winger was a regular for Wolves when they managed to move up a division in the 2017-18 season. His pace and directness troubled a lot of the Championship defenders, and he was often too hot to handle. However, Costa hasn’t been able to showcase his pace or skills so far for Leeds United. We think that he is likely to be dropped now as Pablo Hernandez is back available.
Bielsa recently indicated that Costa is in the adaptation process. He had said, ”Helder is still in an adaptation process, Teams and players need habits you can get from playing.”
The manager is trying to protect his player instead of throwing him under the bus. The Whites would have hoped to see him hit the ground running straight away as that is why they went on to spend almost all their transfer fee on him. As of now though, the signing hasn’t worked, and Costa needs to pull his socks up if he wants to make an impact at Elland Road.
