Leeds United, when owned by Massimo Cellino, were nothing short of a non-stop circus with a constant managerial merry-go-round in West Yorkshire and a whole host of flops entering and leaving Elland Road in a flash.
One of the most bewildering transfer windows under Cellino's ownership would come about in the summer before the 2014/15 campaign kicked off, with the likes of forgotten Whites figures Giuseppe Bellusci and Souleymane Doukara joining from Italy alongside a then fresh-faced Liam Cooper arriving from Chesterfield.
There was another notable dud that Leeds fans might have forgotten about from this rollercoaster time in the club's recent history, however, who was being lined up to stay in England on a permanent deal for £3m if his time went swimmingly after an initial loan.
Instead, the now 29-year-old attacking midfielder in question finds himself lost to the Whites history books having made just 13 appearances in total during a strange loan switch.
Adryan's time at Leeds
Once described as being the 'new Zico', it's fair to say Adryan never quite managed to live up to that outrageous label whilst with Leeds and failed to really ever get to the same heights of the South American great's illustrious career after his whirlwind time at Elland Road was up.
The tag mainly came about due to Adryan's expertise at deftly scoring free-kicks mirroring that of Zico's, with his reputation in the game enough for Cellino to gamble on signing him.
Joining as a statement signing financed by the controversial Cellino, the Brazilian midfielder failed to ever spark into life in his new English surroundings after starring in his native country for Flamengo.
In Brazil, Adryan would garner a reputation for being a skilful and unpredictable threat on the ball who always attempted to weave his way through a swarm of opposition bodies to create something.
That would see the diminutive 5 foot 9 creator pick up two goals and five assists from 45 appearances for Flamengo, before joining Cagliari first in a trio of topsy-turvy loan switches.
Adryan would struggle in Italy making just five appearances for the Serie A outfit before returning home, only for the tricky midfielder's bad luck away from South America following him to Leeds.
1. GK – Marco Silvestri
2. RB – Gaetano Berardi
3. CB – Giuseppe Bellusci
4. CB – Jason Pearce
5. LB – Stephen Warnock
6. RM – Alex Mowatt
7. CM – Rodolph Austin
8. CM – Tommaso Bianchi
9. LM – Lewis Cook (Adryan)
10. ST – Mirco Antenucci
11. ST – Souleymane Doukara
Adryan would manage to make double the appearances he managed in Italy relocating to West Yorkshire, but that's not to say the transition to EFL football went swimmingly for the slick midfielder.
It would take until October of his much-talked-about loan spell for Adryan to get any minutes in a Leeds shirt, drafted in to play 27 minutes against Rotherham United in place of Lewis Cook.
The hyped-up Brazilian would only manage 12 more games for Leeds before heading back to Flamengo after this substitute appearance versus the Millers, only registering two assists and going goalless throughout.
His forgettable spell in England is more well known for the above incident against Derby County, going down theatrically after being caught by Rams man Johnny Russell rather innocuously.
The prospective £3m deal that was on the cards would never come to fruition as a result of Adryan flopping at Elland Road, with the 5 foot 9 man becoming somewhat of a nomad elsewhere in his intriguing career since.
The Brazilian midfielder did manage to breathe some life back into his career right after waving Leeds goodbye, however, putting his Whites demons to one side by going on to star in France and Switzerland.
Adryan's career after leaving Leeds
Adryan would go on to line up for FC Nantes directly after Leeds, ending up finally succeeding away from parent club Flamengo in the process.
The now 29-year-old would bag seven goals from 30 appearances playing in Ligue 1, helping himself to a further two assists also along the way.
It would be with FC Sion however – after leaving behind Flamengo permanently – where Adryan would begin to thrive and excel with seven goals scored from just 18 games during his debut campaign at the Swiss employers.
Yet, even with the Brazilian managing another seven the next season to take his goal tally to an impressive 14 from 49 games played, Adryan would begin to hunt for a new home again when loaned away various times from Sion.
The enigmatic former Leeds man's varied career path even saw him reunite with Cellino at Brescia last year, the divisive ex-Whites chairman utilising his past connections to sway the well-travelled Brazilian to stop off in Italy again.
Yet, that move saw Adryan score just one goal from nine games with the South American then being chucked.
Now, the 29-year-old – who went on trial at Hibernian in January – will look to shake off his journeyman tag back in his native Brazil with ABC Futebol Clube after failing to ever really reach the heights expected him wherever he's ended up.
Adryan's next move
The one-time £3.8k-per-week Whites dud fell victim to the hype that surrounded him early into his career, undoubtedly going down as a waste of money and time from a Leeds perspective among many other flops in the Cellino era.
Now, however, Adryan – who is yet to make an appearance for any club in 2023/24 – will hope he can remain grounded back on home soil and get back to loving his football after relocating non-stop from club to club during his turbulent career.
There won't be any bad blood between the Whites and Adryan now however, with Adryan's stay in West Yorkshire now just put down as a lasting memory from a bemusing time period in the club's recent history.
That span of time arguably looks even more comical now, when compared to the stability and success of Daniel Farke and Co in the present.
Leeds played a blinder with exit of £1.5m man who's now in League Two
The Whites struck gold in hindsight when they raked in money for his services as a teenager.
ByDan EmeryApr 4, 2024