View: Perfect time for Leeds to sell Illan Meslier and replace him with experience
Leeds United’s first-team squad is going to come under severe pressure this summer from rivals looking to pick their best players off them.
We’ve seen it already with winger Raphinha and midfield star Kalvin Phillips, who have both been linked with moves that would bring in a reported combined £100m+ if they were to go through.
But while the club are almost certain to make sure that only one of those two leaves at most, with the Brazilian the most likely, there is another first-team star that could bring in cash and be replaced fairly comfortably.
Goalkeeper Illan Meslier has found himself as the number one at Elland Road in recent seasons, with his solid reflexes and ability to play with his feet seen as big plusses.
Add to that the fact he is a French Under-21 international and currently only just turned 22-years-old, he has a bright future ahead of him.
But with those positives come negatives. He is often caught out playing dangerous passes in his own third of the pitch, while his lack of experience has seen him caught out in the past too.
His record isn’t that great either. In his two seasons in the Premier League to date he has played in 66 games and conceded an incredible 120 goals, keeping just 14 clean sheets in the process.
If Leeds want to ensure that they are best positioned to avoid another relegation scrap next season, they need to add experience and know how into a key area of the pitch.
There are several young goalkeepers around in Europe that can do a similar job, but that isn’t what they should be targeting.
The improvements that Aaron Ramsdale has made to Arsenal this season should be something Leeds are looking at.
The likes of Dean Henderson, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Alphonse Areola and potentially Nick Pope or Jordan Pickford are likely to be available this summer.
Funds could be a problem, but with big money likely to arrive for Raphinha and Brendan Aaronson already targeted to replace him, there is likely to be money available.
Added experience in goal is something that could be a huge boost to Leeds, and if they need to part ways with a potentially very good goalkeeper a few years early then it may be a risk worth taking.
In other Leeds news, Michael Owen shares Leeds relegation view, predicts result of clash v Watford