BBC wowed by what Karl Darlow did away from Leeds United on Monday
Iwan Roberts was wowed by Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow after a quick reaction save for Wales against Montenegro on 9 September.
It was a full international debut for the rarely-seen Elland Road stopper, and he went on to collect three points in a 2-1 UEFA Nations League showdown.
Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon also played for the entire 90 minutes, and will now return to West Yorkshire for the clash against Burnley on 14 September.
Speaking on BBC Radio Cymru [9 September, 20:18], Roberts admitted Wales and Darlow “had a bit of luck” on more than one occasion in the pouring rain.
“Like the strike from Stevan Jovetić that hit the bar, there was a bit of luck in the way Wales kept that out but we had enough players back,” he said.
“It comes off Connor Roberts and the reaction from Karl Darlow is brilliant. Ben Davies can smell danger and he’s done brilliantly to keep it off the line.”
Karl Darlow to get Leeds United chance?
There’s no denying that Illan Meslier is Leeds’ first choice between the sticks.
Darlow also knew this before accepting the move to Elland Road during the 2023/24 summer transfer window, with no change yet.
Despite there being a clear number one and two at the club, there isn’t that much difference in terms of quality between them both.
Meslier’s future was under a magnifying glass for the vast majority of the 2024/25 summer transfer window with a move to Marseille among others being mooted [The Athletic, 2 July].
Nothing came to fruition in terms of a move with new contract talks beginning instead, with a release clause said to be wanted in any extended stay [GiveMeSport, 7 September].
However, this would only come into effect if the Whites failed to gain Premier League promotion again.
It’s still early days as his contract doesn’t expire until 2026 but Daniel Farke wouldn’t go too far wrong by allowing Darlow some time between the sticks this term to see whether he could fill Meslier’s boots if needed.
In other Leeds news, Liam Cooper has finally agreed to a new deal with a club after his Elland Road exit.
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