'He wasn't a Bielsa player' - Former Leeds United defender makes blunt admission about £18m ex-teammate

Former Leeds United defender Barry Douglas has lifted the lid on Jean-Kevin Augustin’s disastrous spell at Elland Road.

Leeds recruited Augustin in January 2020, striking a loan deal containing an obligation to buy for a reported £17.7m if the Whites were promoted to the Premier League.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He managed just three cameo appearances for the Whites, flattering to deceive before being frozen out of the first-team fold.

Leeds did not end up signing Augustin permanently, prompting a legal battle with RB Leipzig over the terms of the agreement. Earlier this year, Leeds dropped their appeal against a £24.5m bill.

Barry Douglas played with Jean-Kevin Augustin at Leeds United.Barry Douglas played with Jean-Kevin Augustin at Leeds United.
Barry Douglas played with Jean-Kevin Augustin at Leeds United. | George Wood/Getty Images

The signing of the French frontman is widely regarded as one of the club’s worst pieces of transfer business and his former teammate has provided an insight into why it did not work out.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Speaking on popular podcast Undr The Cosh, Douglas said: “We were doing some drills with him, crossing and finishing, one of these individual drills. After that training, I called my agent and said ‘who’s this boy Augustin?’. He said he came highly regarded.

Subscribe to The Yorkshire Post and get complimentary access to The New York Times!

Buy our new annual subscription package & enjoy our award-winning journalism plus everything The New York Times has to offer, including The Athletic, Games and more. Subscribe here.

“I said ‘I’m telling you right now, he won’t play for Marcelo, no chance’. I just saw how he moved, how he was. He wasn’t a Bielsa player.”

Augustin stepped off the bench on three occasions, tallying 48 minutes of senior action in total.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Douglas said: “He obviously wasn’t in his best condition, let’s put it that way. I knew how the training was. I’m thinking ‘you’re in for trouble here’. He was basically cast aside.”

Patrick Bamford was Bielsa’s preferred number nine during the 2019/20 campaign, with Augustin not the first to find him difficult to dislodge.

Eddie Nketiah had spent the first half of the season on loan from Arsenal, but played second-fiddle to Bamford.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Douglas said: “We had Eddie Nketiah who came on loan as well. He’s probably one of the best finishers that I’ve seen and played with.

“He just knew where to score, but didn’t have the physical outputs of Pat, and I think that’s why Pat played every game, because he led from the front, pressing like crazy.”

Douglas made 44 appearances for Leeds between 2018 and 2020 before seeing out his contract with a season-long loan spell at Blackburn Rovers. Now 35, he represents St Johnstone in his native Scotland.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice