Habib Habibou has admitted that joining Leeds United early in his career was a big mistake, claiming it is one of his two biggest regrets to date.
The striker moved to Elland Road on loan from Zulte Waregem in the 2013 January transfer window but the move proved to be a disaster as he managed just four appearances and 77 minutes of action before the end of the season.
Predictably the deal was not turned into a permanent one and he returned to Zulte Waregem before being sold on to KAA Gent the following January.
The 35-year-old played for clubs such as Lens and Rennes after the English club and is currently a free agent having left Romanian side Politehnica Lasi in 2020.
Speaking about his spell at Leeds, Habibou said to DH: “I wanted to leave Zulte Waregem in the January 2013 transfer window when I was already at 13 goals and I was a hit.
“West Ham were on it. I even waited in a hotel in Canary Wharf in London for the transfer to be formalised, but agents screwed up the deal at the last minute and everything was cancelled.
“When I got back to Waregem, I forced myself to leave anyway. Playing in England was my dream. I signed in Leeds in the Championship, and it was a very bad idea. If I had stayed at Zulte, I think we would have won the title and I could have made a better transfer afterwards.
“The other regret is having left Gent too quickly, at the end of the 2014 summer transfer window, the title season. I was happy to sign at Rennes, but I should have persevered in Gent.”