Junior Firpo’s Leeds Future Looks Sorted

Junior Firpo’s Leeds Future Looks Sorted Following La Liga Club’s £6m Deal

Love him or hate him, you better get used to him. Junior Firpo, unless anything changes rather dramatically between now and the end of the January transfer window, will be donning the bright white of Leeds United until the summer at least. 

It took less than a week for rumours of a potential return to Real Betis to dissipate.

Firpo played the best football of his career with Los Verdiblancos – a boundless blur of green-and-white – before sealing a £15 million move to Elland Road during the summer of 2021. And, following Alex Moreno’s mid-season switch to Aston Villa, El Desmarque claimed that Firpo was one of the replacement left-backs under consideration by the reigning Copa del Rey winners.   

Roma’s Matias Vina, Almeria’s Sergio Akieme and Rayo Vallecano’s Fran Garcia were reportedly the other names on the wishlist. But, given Betis’ superb track record when it comes to signing talented up-and-comers from South America, it should maybe come as no surprise that Manuel Pellegrini’s side opted to cast their net that little bit wider. 

REAL BETIS SIGN ABNER WHILE BRINGING AN END TO JUNIOR FIRPO RUMOURS

“Getting to a club as big as Real Betis is not easy. I have talked a lot with my family. My goal was to reach such a big club,” beams Abner Vinicius; the Brazil U23 international left-back snapped up from Athletico Paranaense for a cool £6 million.

“I’m going to give it my all. I want to leave my mark at Betis; now and in the future. Betis is a very big club, the Cup winners, playing in the Europa League. I’m going to give it my all. 

“My idols are the full-backs of Brazil; players like Marcelo or Roberto Carlos. I want to leave my mark at Betis.” 

Abner’s first task, as a Betis player, will be to force his way into Pellegrini’s XI ahead of former Barcelona youngster Juan Miranda, while offering the speed and incision that Alex Moreno made his calling card down the left-hand side. 

As for Firpo; another 90 minutes under his belt during Leeds’ 5-2 FA Cup hammering of Cardiff City on Wednesday night was a step feels like a major step in the right direction following yet another injury-enforced absence. 

Firpo’s long-term future at Leeds remains uncertain. His short-term future, however, looks settled for the time being.