Leeds United will pray that their winless run of two Championship games isn’t extended further when Blackburn Rovers come to Elland Road this Saturday, Daniel Farke’s men needing a confidence-boosting victory against the Riversiders to get everything back on track again.
A number of key performers in the 0-0 draw with Sunderland let themselves down, none more so than Daniel James who was ineffective throughout when his bursts forward usually result in an opening going in Leeds’ favour.
James’ heroics elsewhere this season means a blip here and there can be forgiven, with other attackers in Leeds’ recent history irritating fans much more by putting in abject displays frequently.
Rodrigo shone on occasion for the Whites, but his hefty wage – which saw him earn two times James’ current salary when still at the club – means his move goes down as an expensive flop regardless.
Rodrigo’s wage at Leeds
Rodrigo would come in as Leeds’ highest earner during all of his three seasons in West Yorkshire, raking in an eye-watering £100k-per-week after relocating from Valencia to join Marcelo Bielsa’s ranks.
The cost of that excessive wage over the three topsy-turvy years Rodrigo was present at Leeds is even more jaw-dropping, with Leeds losing an estimated £15.6m on the Spaniard alone according to Capology.
Leeds’ highest earners – 2022/23
1. Rodrigo
£100k per week
2. Jack Harrison
£90k per week
3. Weston McKennie
£75k per week
4. Patrick Bamford
£70k per week
5. Georginio Rutter
£70k per week
Sourced by Capology
His weak goal return suggests that this an expensive gamble that didn’t work whatsoever for Bielsa and co, with the Spanish centre-forward bagging a meagre 28 goals from 95 appearances.
15 of those strikes did come during the 2022-23 campaign however, which saw Rodrigo at least offer the Whites something positive during their disastrous relegation to the Championship, but there’s no doubt that the current Al-Rayyan SC attacker still goes down as an expensive misfire from a Leeds perspective.
Regardless of this impactful final season, the lasting legacy of Rodrigo in a Leeds shirt was summed up by ex-striker Kevin Phillips who described his time at Leeds as “disappointing” in 2022.
Remarkably, Rodrigo was on £50k more than James is currently who – minus his off-day against the Black Cats – has been tearing up the second tier with unbelievable performances becoming second nature for the Welshman.
Rodrigo’s wage compared to the current Leeds squad
Rodrigo would still be sitting right at the top of the pile when it comes to the highest earners at Leeds if he returned to West Yorkshire today based on his previous £100k wage, making him £30k-per-week better off than Georginio Rutter and Patrick Bamford.
The Spanish striker earning two times more than James will sting for the former Manchester United attacker, who has completely turned around his Whites career this season making the drop down a division.
The revitalised £50k-per-week winger has 13 goals and seven assists this campaign in the Championship, finding himself just two goals off Rodrigo’s best season total at the moment whilst operating down the channels.
Rodrigo is no doubt still earning a hefty pay packet out in the Middle East now, but when it comes to who will be remembered as a Whites icon worthy of a place in the history books, James will be appearing over the former £100k per week flop.
James will just be keeping everything crossed that he can handle the step up to the Premier League if his side get there at the end of a gruelling second-tier campaign, knowing that he once used to be a scapegoat when Leeds were dire at that level.
Rodrigo, on the other hand, will just want to see out his career now with Al-Rayyan and will view his time with Leeds as rather anticlimactic after arriving into the building as a major £27m coup – with his total cost when adding in his £15m salary standing at a hefty £42m wasted.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.