Leeds Utd news: Five January signings made by Leeds you forgot about, Toumani Diagouraga and Tore Andre Flo included
Whilst the current January transfer window looks to be a quiet one for Daniel Farke and Leeds United, that has not always been the case.
Here, Transfer News Blitz writer, Samuel Leasley, showcases five Leeds United January signings that you either forgot or wanted to forget about as a Leeds fan.
Tore Andre Flo, 2007
The former Chelsea man joined Leeds in January 2007, brought to the club by then-manager and former teammate, Dennis Wise.
Tore Andre Flo joined the club from Vålerenga in his native country’s top flight and was brought in to add some firepower to a Leeds side struggling in the Championship.
After scoring on his home league debut against West Brom, the Norwegian was immediately sidelined with an injury and failed to help prevent the Whites' relegation to League One.
Having initially only signed until the end of the season, the forward would extend his stay a further season, scoring three more times before retiring in March 2008.
Flo would come out of retirement twice, firstly with MK Dons in November 2008 with whom he missed a crucial penalty against Scunthorpe in the League One play-offs.
Secondly, he would return to Sogndal, his first professional club, in 2011 for a short spell before finally officially retiring in 2012.
Anthony Elding, 2008
Anthony Elding’s name is probably not one well-recognised by modern Leeds fans, but the striker joined the club on deadline day in January 2008.
The Whites signed Elding from Stockport County for a reported £100,000 after the forward scored 26 goals in 52 appearances for the Hatters.
Despite the promise that came with the signing, the Englishman was unable to put together a consistent run of games under then-manager Gary McAllister, and only scored a single goal for the club, which came in a 2-1 defeat to Cheltenham Town.
Following only 10 games for the Whites, Elding was sold for a tidy profit to Crewe Alexandra for £160,000.
After departing Leeds, Elding became somewhat of a journeyman, appearing for 13 clubs in eight years, before retiring at Sligo Rovers in 2016.
Gary McSheffrey, 2010
Following the trend of attacking players spending a short time at Elland Road, Gary McSheffrey, joined the club on loan from Birmingham City until the end of the season in January 2010.
McSheffrey made 10 appearances for the Whites on the left wing and notched a solitary goal in a narrow defeat against Walsall.
He was an unused substitute in the final-day victory over Bristol Rovers which saw Leeds promoted from League One as runners-up.
At the end of the season, McSheffrey was released from his contract at Birmingham and was picked up by his former club Coventry City.
Despite ending with an identical record to Elding’s spell at the club, McSheffrey holds the accolade of being a part of the Leeds promotion side and will likely be remembered more fondly for this.
Jimmy Kebe and Cameron Stewart, 2014
Whilst this is technically two entries in one, the similarities of the deals and output from both wingers constitute this merging.
Jimmy Kebe joined on loan from Crystal Palace in January 2014 with a view to a permanent deal at the end of the season.
Following a disastrous debut in a 6-0 thrashing at Hillsborough, Kebe scored his first goal for the club in a 5-1 home victory over Huddersfield Town, infamous for being the game Brian McDermott missed after being sacked and then reinstated days later.
Kebe was unable to convince the Leeds faithful of his ability and was subject to chants asking for his substitution away at Loftus Road following another uninspiring performance.
Unsurprisingly the forward departed at the end of his loan with a permanent deal not on the cards.
Stewart did not fare much better either following a loan move from Hull City, also making his debut in the disaster at Sheffield Wednesday.
The winger’s only notable contribution came in a home draw with Ipswich Town, as he won a penalty that was converted by Ross McCormack.
New owner Massimo Cellino attempted to cancel a permanent transfer of Stewart to the club, which resulted in the Hull man being awarded £750,000 in compensation.
Kebe retired in 2016 following a short spell in Spain at Mallorca and now plays professional Poker.
Stewart retired in 2018 following a spell at Lincoln City aged just 28.
Toumani Diagouraga, 2016
Concluding the list is football league journeyman Toumani Diagouraga, who joined the Whites in January 2016 for £575,000 from Brentford.
Diagouraga made 19 appearances for the club, scoring three times, including the winner in an FA Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers.
Despite appearing in the first game of the following season under Garry Monk, he was quickly taken out of the squad and spent a period training with the U23s.
Following a short spell at Ipswich on loan that was cut short by injury, his Leeds contract was eventually terminated in August 2017.
The midfielder would move to Plymouth in October and spend the remainder of his playing career in the football league before retiring at Rochdale in 2023 aged 36.
He currently works at Championship side Middlesbrough as an academy coach.
Follow all the latest January window rumours and deals with Transfer News Blitz, and follow us on BlueSky as we continue to tell it like it is when it comes to transfer talk.
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