Diego Llorente exit from Leeds United in January surely on the cards as Jesse Marsch swings into action
Diego Llorente faces an uncertain future at Leeds United after he was axed by Jesse Marsch for the clash with Aston Villa at the weekend.
Llorente, 29, was left on the bench as fellow centre-backs Pascal Struijk, Liam Cooper and Robin Koch lined up and kept a clean sheet in a goalless draw at Elland Road.
Llorente’s omission wasn’t by any means a shock. The Spain international has had a rotten start to the season for the Whites even though he finally looks to be over the injury issues that plagued his first months at Elland Road.
The former Real Sociedad defender is the lowest-rated Leeds player, according to WhoScored, who’s started more than three Premier League matches this season.
He’s been responsible for multiple goals being conceded – especially in the 5-2 defeat to Brentford where he was bullied by Ivan Toney – and is clearly going backwards at an alarming rate.
Llorente hasn’t been a Leeds player for long, joining the club from Real Sociedad in September 2020 for around £18million.
But there’s no way the club have received an investment on that figure, especially with Llorente playing just 53 times in over two years at Elland Road.
With just his transfer fee, he’s cost the Whites £340,000-a-game. And that doesn’t factor in all the wages he’s been paid too.
Llorente just hadn’t been worth it but there is solace in the fact that his time at Elland Road could be running out as he’ll enter the final year of his contract next summer.
As he’s 29 years old and out of contract in 2024, this coming January could be the prime time to cash in on Llorente so Leeds can at least cut their losses on the Spaniard.
If they get rid of him, those funds can be used to sign someone better and younger who could one day step into Cooper’s shoes or serve as an upgrade on Koch.
In other Leeds United news, a former FIFA official has slammed a controversial piece of footage from the 0-0 draw with Villa.