Lucas Perri to be exposed in Premier League as ‘scary’ Leeds United concerns raised
Leeds United are on the verge of landing a replacement for Illan Meslier, much to the relief of supporters.
Meslier endured some gut-wrenching moments in the Championship, but fortunately, they did not cost them the title.
Now, Leeds are closing in on the signing of Lucas Perri, who has only been a Lyon player for a year and a half.
While the Brazilian’s arrival would trigger feelings of joy, some concerns have been raised over certain performances in France.
Perri concerns raised amid Leeds United medical
Perri is set to undergo his medical in Germany, which suggests Daniel Farke wants to integrate him as soon as possible.
The Peacocks are currently going through their paces in pre-season and will soon return to England to play Villarreal.
With only a couple of matches remaining of pre-season, it would be wise to give Perri playing time, as he is poised to snatch the number one jersey from Meslier.
Last season, the Brazilian possessed some eye-catching statistics in Ligue 1 and prevented over six goals in 33 appearances.
| Lucas Perri’s 2024/25 Ligue 1 statistics | Total |
| Appearances | 33 |
| Clean sheets | 10 |
| Goals conceded per game | 1.3 |
| Saves per game | 3.5 (73%) |
| Goals prevented | 6.05 |
| Errors leading to goal | 1 |
Furthermore, he kept 10 clean sheets and only made one error leading to a goal compared to Meslier’s three in the Championship.
However, French football expert Luke Entwistle, speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News, raised some legitimate concerns.
He said: “I sometimes find his footwork a little bit scary.
“He doesn’t always assure you, although most of the time he does get away with it, manages to get the ball away, and progress the ball, but he can be a little bit hairy sometimes in that regard.
“There are question marks about his footwork, and how safe he can be when under pressure consistently.”
Premier League could uncover Perri weakness
The Premier League can be an intense environment for goalkeepers, given the pressure to play with their feet.
This is why Perri could find the switch to England a challenge, and it is an area of his game he must work on.
It feels like goalkeeping howlers have become a familiar custom in the top flight, but keepers cannot always be to blame.
If they are told to play with their feet by their managers, then they must abide by their requests.
With Perri, it is a weakness of his; then it will be interesting to see if Farke takes a different approach, given he has already seemingly changed formation to go more defensive.
However, if he enforces the 27-year-old to use his feet, then Perri could be set for more scary moments.
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