Leeds: Illan Meslier now in unexpected situation at Elland Road

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·22 September 2023

Leeds: Illan Meslier now in unexpected situation at Elland Road

Highlights

Leeds United's Illan Meslier has improved under head coach Daniel Farke this season.
The goalkeeper was widely expected to leave Elland Road this summer but no serious offers materialised.
He has started every league game for Leeds this season.

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Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier has “improved” this season, as presenter Joe Wainman discusses with GIVEMESPORT an unexpected transfer situation at Elland Road this summer.

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Head coach Daniel Farke has kept hold of the stopper, aiming to produce enough clean sheets to earn the Whites an immediate return to the Premier League.

In April, Football Insider reported that Leeds had placed a £40m price tag on Meslier’s head ahead of the summer transfer window. The figure arrived when the Whites were still a Premier League outfit and was likely to have decreased following their relegation to the Championship. Leeds chief executive Angus Kinnear has hinted the club turned down an offer for Meslier worth “in the mid-20s” when speaking to The Square Ball (via LeedsLive):

“I think people do look at Leicester and Southampton and some of the fees coming into those clubs, and it's a very different picture to the one we have had, which is just people leaving on loan. I think if you look at that, particularly for Leicester, it's around the fact that their players have been in the league for longer. “I think people have been able to forgive [James] Maddison and [Youri] Tielemans and [Harvey] Barnes. They've been able to forgive them one bad season or one below-average season because they've had four or five good seasons in the Premier League before that where they've proven their class. They definitely deserve to generate the fees. “We could have had a very similar picture at Leeds United. We accepted the offer for Tyler [Adams]. We could have accepted an offer for Willy [Gnonto] significantly in advance of that. We could have taken an offer for Illan [Meslier], which would have been in the mid-20s. An offer for [Luis] Sinisterra would have been at 20. An offer for Pascal Struijk, which would have been low teens.”

Transfer insider Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT in July that Meslier was likely to leave during the summer transfer window. However, the September 1st deadline passed with the Frenchman still between the sticks at Leeds, meaning he has no choice but to perform to his best standard under Farke.

What has Wainman said about Leeds?

Wainman believes that Leeds and Meslier would have assumed they would go their separate ways this summer. However, the stopper, who was signed by Marcelo Bielsa, remains at Elland Road and has impressed with his improved commanding of his area. The presenter told GIVEMESPORT:

“I think both the football club and Meslier probably felt that they wouldn't be in this situation come the transfer window’s end. But what he has done is he has improved. I think he's improved his commanding of his area. I think a lot of it's due to the style as well. He likes playing the brand of football. He was great under Bielsa. Let’s not forget I think he had the highest number of clean sheets for a player aged 21 or under, bettered only by Joe Hart. “There’s a good goalkeeper there, and there always has been for me. Personally, I've always rated Meslier, and he has looked a lot more assured. I think the competition of having Karl Darlow there plays a part because he knows he can't rest on his laurels. After all, you've got a goalkeeper there who has won the Championship before with Newcastle United and has played in the Premier League for an entire season with them. So, there's competition there for both places.”

Could Meslier be sold in January?

According to Football Insider, Leeds are ready to accept an offer for Meslier during the winter transfer window. The Whites had accepted they would likely have to sell the 23-year-old this summer, but an offer never materialised. Farke’s side could ask for bids between £20m-£25m as 2023 becomes 2024. Darlow’s arrival from Newcastle means that Leeds have adequate cover in the goalkeeper department and could afford to let go of the young stopper during the winter transfer window.

However, Meslier may not be keen on leaving Elland Road if the Whites are in with a strong shout of promotion come the new year and could choose to see out the campaign at Leeds. The 6 foot 7 goalkeeper has played in every Championship game for Leeds this term, keeping three clean sheets in seven appearances before Saturday’s visit of Watford.