Leeds United
Leeds United are set to enter the January transfer window with a lot of uncertainty. Question marks remain around whether the current squad is good enough to secure Premier League survival.
Daniel Farke is under pressure after recent results, and possible replacements are already being named. It is believed the Leeds boss has the next four games to turn the season around. The Whites need reinforcements if they are to survive this season, but it is unclear if the club will dip into the transfer market in the coming months.
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When the January window opens, the club will have to make some difficult decisions concerning some players, as they navigate the transfer window. There are of course a handful of players whose deals are set to expire at the end of the season, this will be the club’s last chance to cash-in.
Leeds United players set to leave on free transfers this summer
Though we speak about the club having one more opportunity to cash-in on player’s with expiring deals, January will also represent a chance for foreign clubs to agree pre-contracts with those who have six months or less left on their contract. That is an immediate worry for the club in the next couple of months with four current players able to do this. In January, those players are allowed to open talks with clubs outside England. What the club decide to do with them will be an interesting discussion to follow, with some in the discussion for a new deal and others not.
Today Sky Sports released a list of every player in the Premier League who will be soon available to agree a contract with another club outside England. Below are those set to leave Leeds United for free, as things stand.
Illan Meslier
The Frenchman still remains at the club, and is now the third choice keeper as Daniel Farke said in pre-season. He has only been in the matchday squad when Lucas Perri picked up an injury over a month ago. There is expected to be some interest in the shot stopper when January comes around. He will head the list of player’s likely to leave for free, and it would not be a shock if Meslier already has club’s outside England queuing up to sign him on a pre-contract.
Sam Byram
The defender played a big part in Farke’s first season in charge, providing a reliable backup in both fullback positions. He has featured just once this season, in the EFL Cup exit to Sheffield Wednesday. He could yet feature more this season if there are injuries, but the club’s season of James Justin, who can play both right and left-back, means Byram is unlikely to feature and is almost certain to leave for free.
Alex Cairns
The backup keeper remains part of the first team as the reserve goalkeeper. He did not make a single appearance last year, and it not likely to make one this season. Cairns acts more as a goalkeeping coach but counts towards the club’s homegrown quota, having come through the academy at Elland Road.
Karl Darlow
Darlow was signed initially to provide competition for Illan Meslier, but ended up displacing the Frenchman at the end of last season. He is now firmly the backup keeper in the Leeds team, but many feel he should be number one. Darlow splits opinion among the fanbase, much like no.1 Lucas Perri, but Leeds should definitely keep him. The Welsh international is a very trusty n0.2 keeper and is a popular character in the squad. It is very surprising he has not been offered a new deal yet.
The Whites continue to manage this team poorly since last year. Some of these players should not be in the club in the first place. Leeds could have sold Meslier in the summer, but Managing Director Robbie Evans said the offers were not good enough for the club. Now, they stand to lose Meslier for nothing which is terrible considering teams still want to sign the 25-year old. The Frenchman was once considered one of the highest-rated young goalkeepers in the world, Leeds should have cashed in when his stock was higher. Now, they stand to lose him for free when once upon a time he was valued at £20 million.
Sam Byram’s contract was a bit puzzling considering that Leeds splashed close to £10 million on James Justin; another fullback who can play on both flanks. He should not have been given a new deal either. Alex Cairns’ deal is understandable, because he is a backup keeper and Leeds did not expect Meslier to remain. But they need to find another role for him at the club. Cairns should be brought into the backroom staff if he is not offered another year to his deal, it is strange this has not already been sorted.
Karl Darlow should have been given a new contract already; he has shown he is a very capable shot stopper and is reliable. His performances this season can easily get him a new club in the summer, which means Leeds lose him for free. Overall, if all these players leave, it is down to the club’s awful management.
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