"My enemy" - Diego Llorente makes Leeds United and Victor Orta admission | OneFootball

Diego Llorente has spoken about his relationship with Victor Orta and his time at Leeds United.

Diego Llorente's time at Leeds United came to an end this summer, with the 31-year-old joining Marc Roca at Real Betis.

Both of those players were signed during Victor Orta's time with the club, with Llorente signing for Leeds in the summer of 2020, becoming a big-money signing with an estimated fee of £18 million from Real Sociedad.

However, he joined AS Roma last year on an initial loan basis, which was then extended for a second season following the Whites' relegation to the Championship. During his stint with Leeds, he made 59 appearances in all competitions for the club.

However, with the 10-cap Spanish international signing a contract at Elland Road back in December 2022, which ran until June 2026, Leeds still had him on their books heading into the summer.

That's because after two-and-a-half seasons in West Yorkshire, midway through last season, it was announced that he would join Roma on loan for the second half of the 2022/23 campaign.

The 31-year-old had an injury-hit first stint in Rome, but then continued to be a mainstay for the Italian giants across all competitions in 2023/24, regardless of their struggles which led to the sacking of Jose Mourinho in January.

That was always likely to see him move on this summer, be that to Roma or elsewhere. His form was enough to secure him a move back to Spain with Real Betis.

Diego Llorente's Victor Orta and Leeds admission

Speaking via Estadio Deportivo, as translated by Joe Brennan, Llorente has reflected on his time at Leeds and his experiences with Orta, who is now a key figure at Betis' rivals Sevilla.

He said: “It was a complicated period, because many factors came together. It was still a time of COVID and there was no normality either on a personal or sporting level.

"It was my first time outside Spain, and you have to adapt because the English culture is very different from ours.

“I did have a bit of a hard time in the first few months, but I got through it thanks to hard work and with the help of the medical staff. By chance, that season I ended up going to the European Championship after playing well.”

On Orta: “I have very good memories of him, because at the end of the day, outside of football and sport, it's about people and friendships.

"He treated me very well when I came to Leeds, he gave me all his support and for that I will always be grateful.

"But I already told him that from now on he is my enemy and that if I crossed him in the street I wouldn’t necessarily say hello!”

Leeds fans have mixed feelings about Llorente. While the Spanish defender had some good moments, particularly with his ball-playing ability and the experience that he brought to the side, he never truly won the hearts of the Elland Road faithful.

His performances were often inconsistent, with moments of solid defending overshadowed by lapses in concentration and poor and rash decision-making through his aggressive defending style, which often left spaces in behind him.

Injuries also played a part, disrupting any chance of him finding a consistent rhythm in the team. Ultimately, despite flashes of quality, Llorente didn’t inspire confidence at the back, and his time at Leeds was marked more by frustration than admiration, leaving many fans happy to see the back of him.

It made sense for all parties that he exited Elland Road for a fee of some description this summer. It's also unsurprising that he talks so well of Orta, given the ridiculous contracts he handed to many of the summer signings in terms of wages and contract length as well.