Leeds United sold the wrong player as ex-Elland Road ace starts to shine at new club
Leeds United could rue selling Elia Caprile over Illan Meslier as the Italian starts to shine for Napoli.
Meslier grabbed headlines after making a blunder that gifted Sunderland a late equaliser in the Whites’ 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light last Friday (4 October).
Caprile, meanwhile, has been on the rise since leaving Leeds United for Bari in 2022, earning himself a move to Napoli last year.
The Italian has impressed for Antonio Conte’s side in Alex Meret’s absence in recent weeks and Leeds could soon regret offloading him.
Choosing Illan Meslier over Elia Caprile could come back to haunt Leeds United
Meslier has undoubtedly been a key player for Leeds United since initially joining them on loan from Lorient in 2019 (made permanent in 2020), helping them earn promotion to the Premier League in 2020.
However, there is a growing feeling that the 24-year-old’s progress has stagnated, with Friday’s howler and his subsequent reaction raising further question marks.
Caprile, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength since departing Elland Road.
He began the season as the deputy to Meret at Napoli, but an unexpected injury to the latter has given him a chance to impress.
The former Leeds man helped Napoli to a 0-0 draw against Juventus on 21 September after coming on as a first-half substitute.
He has since kept two more clean sheets in three games in all competitions, making a total of four saves, as per Footy Stats.
In other Leeds United news, Paul Robinson has slammed Sky Sports pundits for their analysis of Meslier’s error against Sunderland.
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