Leeds United sold academy graduate Ronaldo Vieira quite surprisingly in the summer of 2018 when Marcelo Bielsa first arrived, but the decision has paid off.The issue with being a promotion-chasing Championship side is that even when you’re looking to be ambitious with signings, they have to be counter-balanced with outgoings that can fund it.So when Leeds appointed Marcelo Bielsa back in 2018 under Andrea Radrizzani, his hefty wages meant that Leeds needed a different approach in the transfer window that meant selling one or two first team players.Ronaldo Vieira sold to Sampdoria for £6.25mHaving been a key figure in the middle of midfield since his breakthrough, youngster Ronaldo Vieira was the player that Bielsa was happy to sanction an exit for.He moved to Italian side Sampdoria for a reported fee of £6.25million, leaving Bielsa to place his faith at the base of midfield solely on Kalvin Phillips.Phillips proved to be the right player to keep hold of out of the duo, becoming the best midfielder in the Championship before making his way to being an England regular under Gareth Southgate after promotion.Will Leeds sign Rodon permanently?A move to Sampdoria in the Serie A hasn’t seen the midfielder progress at all in his career, but for the large part, it’s not his fault.Over a year out across these five injuries and this doesn’t even paint the whole picture of any minor setbacks, or the current one he’s struggling with.Vieira hasn’t kicked a ball for Radrizzani’s Sampdoria in the Serie B since December 2023 due to an adductor problem.His sale could have proved premature at the time, but in terms of balancing the books to ensure we kept other vital stars for Bielsa’s promotion bid, as well as how his career is panning out, it’s a £6.25million deal that has worked out incredibly well.
