MOT View: Major Leeds development could see reported £5m transfer confirmed
The Kiko Casilla saga finally came to an end on Friday night with the Leeds United keeper banned for eight games.
Casilla and Leeds chose not to appeal and it saw 19-year-old Illan Meslier come in for his Championship debut against Hull.
He did well enough to suggest that Leeds are in safe hands and the Casilla ban could easily see the Meslier move become permanent.
French outlet Ouest France reported that the loan deal had a clause attached that would see the £5m option triggered if Leeds get promoted or Meslier plays 10 first-team games.
He’s already played two – against Arsenal in the FA Cup and today’s game against Hull.
If he plays through the rest of Casilla’s ban then he’ll be one game away from that trigger point. And, after eight games out, the chances of Casilla coming straight back in are close to zero.
If Meslier doesn’t play through Casilla’s ban then something bad has happened, seeing as the Leeds back-up is 18-year-old Elia Caprile.
It’s no bad thing. £5m for a young goalkeeper like Meslier could be considered a bargain, but if the worst happens and Leeds don’t get promoted, it will be another major cost alongside other obligations such as Helder Costa.
In other Leeds United news, ‘Zero class’, ‘Pathetic’ – These Leeds fans fume at official Hull tweet following Casilla ban