The signing of Rodrigo has simply not worked out for Leeds United and Marcelo Bielsa, that is according to former Whites midfielder Carlton Palmer, who discussed the player in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.
Rodrigo, 30, arrived at Elland Road for a club-record fee of £26m last summer but has not quite managed to make the sort of impact fans would have been hoping for.
In 21 league appearances, the former Valencia forward has only managed to score three times, while he has also had his trouble with injury.
Will Rodrigo come good at Leeds?
Yes!
No!
Rodrigo is now being linked with a move back to Spain as he sweats over his future with the national team ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Speaking exclusively to FFC about the Spain international, Palmer said:
“Listen, when you sign players, you can do your homework, you can do everything about that player. The Premier League is a different ball game, but it doesn’t matter even about the Premier League. Sometimes the players hit the ground running, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes the signings work, sometimes they don’t, that is a fact.
“Rodrigo is one of those that hasn’t worked out. As a manager, if you get seven out of 10 of your signings that work, you’re doing very well. If you’re getting less than seven, you’ll be out of work.”
The ex-Leeds player, however, did add:
“It doesn’t mean they’re bad players. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out at a football club.”
While Rodrigo has struggled this season, Bielsa does have some success stories from the last summer transfer window.
Raphinha, who joined from Rennes, has been brilliant in attack for the Whites, racking up six goals and six assists in the Premier League so far.