What Karl Darlow may be thinking after £15m development at Leeds United

Daniel Farke has a massive dilemma on his hands after decent performances from Karl Darlow at Leeds United.

Lucas Perri has been recovering from an injury at Elland Road, giving the Wales international an opportunity to prove his worth.

Darlow hasn’t let Farke down so far this season, leaving the German manager to decide on his number one goalkeeper in LS11.

The Whites have a crunch fixture against Burnley coming up on 18 October, and it will be interesting to see who will be in between the sticks for the West Yorkshire outfit.

Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow.
Credit: Imago

Lucas Perri not guaranteed starter after £15m transfer to Leeds United

Leeds didn’t spend a significant sum on Perri for him to be considered an undisputable part of the starting lineup, Andy Lonergan says.

The former goalkeeper, who spent two stints at Elland Road, believes that Darlow may be thinking there’s no guaranteed number one at the Whites right now.

With the ex-Olympique Lyon shot-stopper only recently establishing himself as a first-choice in top-flight football, the Welshman could potentially pip him in the pecking order in LS11.

Speaking to The Athletic on 16 October, Lonergan said: “With Lucas at 27 years of age, Karl’s probably thinking, ‘Look, this guy’s not a guaranteed number one’. I know he got the number one shirt and they paid £15m for him, but nowadays that’s quite cheap, isn’t it? If Leeds had bought a player for £30m, yes, he’s going straight back in the team, regardless.”

Farke may opt to put Perri back into the team straightaway, but there’s a conversation to be had for the position as the German manager has two impressive options.

While the Brazilian national has been decent, he has made a few errors during his initial stint at the West Yorkshire outfit, with the ones against Arsenal standing out.

Illan Meslier goes missing at Elland Road

Illan Meslier’s future surely lies away from Elland Road, with the French goalkeeper hardly getting a look in the squad.

The only reason the 25-year-old has even made the Leeds bench in recent matches is because of Perri’s injury.

PlayerAppearancesGoals concededClean sheets
Karl Darlow570
Lucas Perri352
Darlow and Perri’s record at Leeds this season

While Meslier has been professional about his difficult situation in LS11, it would be best for both parties to part ways in January.

With the shot-stopper in the final year of his contract at the West Yorkshire outfit, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him leave for next to nothing in the upcoming transfer window.

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