George Overhill

Mon 17 July 2023 19:10, UK

Leeds United are trying to “put the wheels in motion” for Junior Firpo to leave the club, which should be happening “relatively soon”, according to Dean Jones.

The defender has been more a part of the problem than the solution at the left-back spot since he arrived from Barcelona two seasons ago, and is expected to leave this summer after the Whites were relegated from the Premier League.

There have been links to Marc Roca’s new side Real Betis in La Liga [Estadio Deportivo, 27 June], and Marseille in Ligue 1, although the latter are said to have dropped out of the race allowing Galatasaray to make a “surprise” loan offer, and it appears Leeds United are looking to speed up his exit.

“Left-back is an area of priority, and you can see why,” former Eurosport journalist Jones told GIVEMESPORT.

“Firpo should have been a good signing, but it’s not worked out. He needs to find a new club and move on from this moment, which I think will start happening relatively soon. They’re trying to put the wheels in motion and finding Firpo new clubs to join.

“So, I think the left-back situation does need sorting at Leeds. It’s been a problem.”

Necessary

Firpo gets a lot of stick from Whites fans and pundits, and on some performances it is justified, but his introduction to the club came in tricky circumstances when he caught Covid-19 amid the dying days of the Marcelo Bielsa era.

Either way, signing players from the Camp Nou is generally supposed to provide a level of performance that largely hasn’t been there.

He needs a move as much as the club needs a new answer at the position, and even if that is Charlie Taylor there are bound to be enough fans who would be relieved to swap Firpo in and bring the former Whites man in, despite the manner of his original departure.

It’s a toss-up across the last few transfer windows that Victor Orta presided over which position was more glaringly overlooked between left-back and striker.

Firpo spent two seasons flattering to deceive for the most part or being overlooked by his managers, while Patrick Bamford wilted under the pressure of leading the line on his own while his body kept breaking down.

Lack of proper back up in both cases ultimately contributed to the relegation that the club is now attempting to come to terms with, so if answers can finally be found to the two long-standing issues it would certainly help towards promotion, and a Firpo exit deal is surely included within that.

In other Leeds United news, the Whites reportedly only needs around £4million to land another summer signing.