Leeds United could face contract nightmare next season, Victor Orta has to sort it out
Leeds United currently have an abundance of central defenders but that could all change extremely quickly if Victor Orta doesn’t act.
According to Transfer Markt, Pascal Struijk, Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Diego Llorente will all see their current Elland Road deals expire at the end of the 2023-24 season.
That leaves just Leo Hjelde as a natural centre-half with Luke Ayling, another viable option in the heart of the defence, having his contract end this summer.
Luckily for Whites fans, Orta seems to already be on the road to securing the future of some of his defensive stable with Fabrizio Romano claiming that a new deal for Struijk is all but done.
“Leeds have reached an agreement with Pascal Struijk on new contract, it will be valid until 2027 — it’s done,” the journalist wrote via his personal Twitter account [1 December].
But there are still three contracts coming to and end very soon and decisions need to be made before the summer transfer window to try and ensure they either stay or get sold for a reasonable amount of money.
Cooper is perhaps the most sensible player to allow to leave with his vast age meaning he can struggle to keep up with the Premier League’s elite.
But neither Llorente nor Koch have been able to properly cement themselves as a guaranteed starter every single week at Elland Road under Jesse Marsch so they might not be safe either.
The issue is that you can’t rebuild an entire defence in one window or risk being left short when the window slams shut so one of those may have to be given a new deal unless Orta can work wonders in January.
But the director of football needs to fund a striker and a left-back first so a centre-half may have to wait until the summer after all.
In other Leeds United news, the Whites are now concerned that they won’t be able to sign this World Cup ace as their struggles continue.