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Ipswich Town and Leeds United watched Nelson Deossa in person last week, but they may now find Real Betis less willing to part ways with the Colombian. Scouts from both Premier League clubs attended Betis’ 3-1 friendly win over Arsenal in Dublin on Wednesday. That had been covered beforehand, and Diario de Sevilla, in their Monday print edition, now confirm representatives from Ipswich and Leeds were indeed there. They picked a good game to watch Deossa. The midfielder scored against Arsenal with a powerful effort from outside the box. It was his third goal of pre-season, having been surprisingly used as a centre-forward by Manuel Pellegrini. That form is now changing the conversation around his future at Betis. Deossa gives Betis something to think about Nelson Deossa was considered much more likely to leave only a month ago. Diario de Sevilla now say the chances of a summer transfer have “decreased considerably”. His proposed move to Vasco da Gama has cooled. Betis and the Brazilian club failed to reach an agreement, while the player doesn’t want to return to South America. More importantly, his own performances are making a difference. Deossa has looked more involved, harder-working and better integrated into Pellegrini’s squad this summer. Using him as a striker was initially little more than an emergency solution. Cucho Hernández was unavailable and Betis are still waiting for another centre-forward to arrive. It has worked surprisingly well. Deossa has shown he can do more there than score goals. Diario de Sevilla highlight his mobility, willingness to drift wide and ability to drop deeper and combine with teammates. Betis aren’t suddenly planning to turn him into a full-time striker. Once their attacking department is complete, he isn’t expected to play there regularly. What he has done is give Pellegrini another option. Three positions now an advantage Deossa struggled to nail down one role last season. He featured in a double pivot and was also tried as an attacking midfielder without establishing himself in either position. That uncertainty could now work in his favour. Diario de Sevilla believe his ability to cover three roles could earn him plenty of minutes across a season in which Betis will compete on three fronts. They compare the situation to Aitor Ruibal, whose versatility has made him an important part of Pellegrini’s plans without necessarily making him an automatic starter. For Ipswich and Leeds, there is therefore a slightly awkward consequence to their scouting trip. They went to Dublin to assess a player who was available for a move. Deossa then scored against Arsenal in front of them and continued a pre-season which is making Betis think twice about letting him go. Multiple Premier League clubs scouting him at this specific match.https://t.co/BDUaTGQ4Kyhttps://t.co/1ggvlceQCL — Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) August 5, 2026