Credit: Imago

Aheed Abrar

Sat 9 May 2026 16:10, UK

Karl Darlow should “most definitely” be handed a new contract at Leeds United after his performances this season.

That’s what club icon Tony Dorigo believes, with the Wales international coming into the team at a time Daniel Farke needed him the most.

The Whites’ former defender has been impressed to see the 35-year-old shoulder the burden in between the sticks after Illan Meslier and Lucas Perri’s struggles.

As things stand, the veteran shot-stopper will be a free agent at the end of the season unless the West Yorkshire outfit tie him down to a new deal and talks should commence soon over an extension.

Darlow has repaid Farke’s faith since last season and keeping the goalkeeper for the 2026-27 campaign is surely a no-brainer.

Karl Darlow dilemma emerges at Leeds United

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post on 9 May, Dorigo said, “For me, most definitely. I mean, if you think of the issues we had with the form of our keepers, whether it was Meslier, whether it was Perri, for him to come in, there’s a lot of pressure on his shoulders.”

Ideally, fans in LS11 would like to see Leeds sign a quality goalkeeper next season, with Darlow acting as the backup.

The Whites did try to reinforce their squad with Perri last summer, but underwhelming performances from the 28-year-old Brazilian ace forced Farke to turn back to the Welshman.

In the previous campaign, Meslier ended up being dropped to the bench in place of Darlow for the final seven league matches of the season after making some horrendous blunders in between the sticks.

The West Yorkshire outfit surely need to offload a couple of goalkeepers before signing someone to compete for the number one spot with the veteran shot-stopper at Elland Road.

While Darlow has put in some decent performances in recent months, supporters acknowledge that the Peacocks need more quality in that area if they want to make progress in the Premier League.

Elland Road hierarchy can’t miss James Trafford opportunity

Leeds have been linked with James Trafford ahead of the upcoming transfer window, with the Manchester City goalkeeper likely to leave for regular minutes next season.

It would make sense for the Whites to go all out for the England international to fix a glaring issue in their goalkeeping department.

The 23-year-old will surely be able to provide stability in between the sticks at Elland Road for several years to come.

Finding a quality goalkeeper can undoubtedly be challenging, making Darlow’s continuity in LS11 imperative.