Leeds United dropped interest a year ago, now Baghdad Bounedjah is chasing AFCON gold

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A year ago and Leeds United found themselves linked with a move for a little-known striker. The player in question was Baghdad Bounedjah. 

The Algerian striker had a fine record to justify the apparent interest. He was in the midst of a goal spree with his Qatari club Al Sadd which ended with stats of 41 goals in 28 games. 

But, as reported by Algerian source, L’Expression, it was on this day 12 months ago that Leeds’ interest was over. The reason why was clear. Financially, Leeds could not bring the player in. 

Al Sadd are not lacking financial clout and wanted £13.25 million to consider selling their star striker. 

So one year on, how has Bounedjah fared?

Clearly, he did not struggle to continue finding the net, as his 41-goal final tally showed. Overall, in 2018, he scored 58 goals in the calendar year, more than Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Harry Kane.  He has also established himself in the Algeria side. 

Despite mixed individual performances, including a recent missed penalty, Bounedjah has helped the Desert Foxes to the African Cup of Nations final this week. His national team boss Djamel Belmadi has also had some huge praise for the player, as reported by Egypt Today. 

“He is one of the best strikers in the world. He is very important for us and he scored many goals during the qualifiers. Missing the penalty against Ivory Coast is not the end.”

In December, he signed a lucrative long-term deal in Qatar so any potential Leeds United return for his services looks unlikely.  

But one year on, it seems Bounedjah is continuing to grow his reputation. Leeds United fans will just hope one of their current stars can hit such impressive scoring heights this season.