Remarkable stat hints Helder Costa can turn around Leeds fortunes

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With the likes of Joe Gelhardt and Pablo Hernandez also on the bench, Leeds United fans may have felt underwhelmed when Marcelo Bielsa decided to introduce Helder Costa for the second-half of Sunday’s trip to Arsenal.

After an outstanding start to the campaign, Costa’s form took a significant dip. And he has now not completed 90 minutes in the Premier League since the defeat to Leicester in early November.

Unfortunately for Costa, his first contribution to the weekend’s game was not a positive one. The winger lost possession near the edge of the Leeds box. And that led to Arsenal making the score 4-0.

However, he would play a role in giving the Gunners a bit of a scare. The Portuguese got on the end of Tyler Roberts’ pass to find the back of the net for Leeds’s second goal of the evening.

It was Costa’s third league goal of the season. And it leaves him actually boasting a quite remarkable record amongst the Whites squad this term.

As shown by Whoscored.com, no player in the Leeds squad boasts a better shots per goal ratio than the 27-year-old.

Costa has scored his goals from just 10 attempts on goal. Meanwhile, Patrick Bamford averages a goal every 6.5 shots. Jack Harrison scores a goal every 5.3 shots.

Of course, Costa’s record comes from a much smaller sample size. And it should not be overlooked that only one of those goals has come since the second weekend of the campaign.

But perhaps it could act as a reminder of what Costa – who cost £16 million (via BBC Sport) – can do. He was brilliant for a few weeks at the start of the season.

And, while Harrison and Raphinha are the clear first-choice wide-men right now, his record highlights his ability to make an impact when he is brought into games.

He needs to make that impact a lot more often if he is going to live up to his price tag. And some may still feel underwhelmed when Bielsa decides to put him on instead of others. But perhaps his tally of three goals in just 10 shots helps show why the Leeds boss does keep faith with him.