All the talk about a player’s contract expiring at Leeds United has been regarding Junior Firpo with the defender set to return to Spain – but Firpo is not the only player with his contract due to end.
Three Leeds players will see their contracts expire at the end of the month. Firpo will return to Betis, who reached the Conference League final under Manuel Pellegrini and boast Marc Roca and Diego Llorente.
Josuha Guilavogui has already been confirmed as leaving the club this summer after only joining Leeds in November 2024, signed as an emergency replacement for injured duo Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev.
Leeds stated in their retained list that they remained in talks with Firpo and Sam Byram. But Firpo is set for an exit, while Byram’s future has been kept in the dark – and it appears, that it will continue to do so.
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Leeds inform Sam Byram of their stance over new contract
Byram, 31, has arguably been one of Daniel Farke’s best signings as Leeds manager. Reuniting with the full-back on a free after signing him at Norwich, Byram has proved to be reliable and versatile cover.
During 2024-25, it seems Byram has also put his injury demons behind him and while he cannot play 90 minutes twice a week, he still provides a good defensive option on either side of the Leeds defence.
The Yorkshire Evening Post now say that Leeds have informed Byram they want him to stay next season. However, the ball is in Byram’s court and the Thorp Arch academy product is yet to provide a response.
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The three reasons why keeping Sam Byram is a no-brainer
The first coincides with why allowing Firpo to leave makes sense. Leeds will be defending a whole lot more than they are attacking next season. Firpo is better going forward, than he is defensively.
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For Byram, it is the opposite. Good in the air, defensively sturdy. This is a player Farke can rely on and would still put a shift in, if he is used from the start. Byram is more defensively trustworthy than Firpo.
The second is that Firpo is leaving. If Byram left too, Leeds would be losing 50% of their options at full-back and that is unnecessary when there are so many other areas of the squad that need recruitment.
Finally, Byram is a homegrown option. Not simply a player that has trained in England as a teenager, but one to do so at Leeds. In terms of Premier League registration rules, keeping Byram is a no-brainer.