Pascal Struijk: Leeds United star can't waste Premier League-leading attribute

Pascal Struijk has built much of his Leeds United success on being a key contributor in attack.

Signed all the way back in January 2018 from Ajax, the Dutchman has been an excellent investment by Leeds.

He's been part of two Championship title-winning seasons and has enjoyed four Premier League campaigns during his time at Elland Road so far.

Struijk has made 198 appearances for Leeds, with 37 of those coming in all competitions during the 2025-26 season.

A physical and combative centre-back, he's just played a key role in helping Daniel Farke's side to a 14th-placed finish in their first term back in the top flight too.

However, with his contract expiring next summer, Struijk's long-term Leeds future is firmly up in the air right now.

Where Pascal Struijk led the Premier League in 2025-26

Prior to the 2025-26 campaign, Struijk netted five goals in all competitions in each of his previous two seasons for Leeds.

Indeed, he'd scored in every single Whites campaign dating back to the 2020-21 term heading into last season.

Unfortunately, Struijk wasn't able to keep that run going this past year, failing to find the net as well as providing just the one assist.

It wasn't for a lack of trying nor opportunities either, as per FotMob, no Premier League centre-back registered more headed shots on goal than Struijk's 26 last season.

Meanwhile, his 31 total attempts on goal ranked him in the top 2.2 percentile of his top-flight positional rivals in 2025-26.

So, with his goals and attacking input such a big aspect of his Leeds success so far, these numbers coupled with his lack of production are concerning.

Scoring goals obviously isn't a centre-backs main responsibility, but when it's been a proven element of a certain player's game such as it has been with Struijk, it is worrying when that's not the case for whatever reason.

Why Struijk is key tactical cog for Leeds

With that being said, there's absolutely no doubt that Leeds should be doing everything they can to ink Struijk to a new long-term contract.

At 26 and now entering the prime of his career as a central defender, Struijk is an uber-reliable performer for Farke and is a big part of the dressing room given how long he's been at Elland Road for.

Aside from that, Struijk is also the only left-footed centre-back currently in the Whites' first-team ranks, and so to lose that would be a big blow to Farke's tactical approach.

Having a left-footer in central defence opens up the passing lanes that are typically blocked for right-footers, enabling for greater ease when playing out from the back and building in attack.

In summary, Struijk brings too many qualities to the table for Leeds to lose, but if he is to stay beyond this summer, he will need to ensure that goals are back on the menu next season.