Leeds United could lose ‘Tremendous’ Junior Firpo this summer – Carlton Palmer
Carlton Palmer has admitted that Leeds United could lose Junior Firpo this summer as his injury problems will be causing concern.
The left-back has been a regular for Daniel Farke’s side this season with five assists in 17 appearances so far, but he has suffered with several different injuries over the course of the campaign.
Phil Hay recently reported that he is unlikely to be offered a new contract and could be sold in the summer, and while speaking to Football League World (15 March) Palmer admitted he understands that but urged the Whites not to panic and to wait until the end of the season before making a decision.
“I can see why people are talking about not renewing his contract, he has struggled with injuries and that is a problem,” he said. “You obviously don’t want to go into the new season with a player that is often out.
“He’s having a tremendous season this season, he’s doing really well, five assists in 17 games for a left-back is outstanding. But, I don’t think Daniel Farke will be in any rush to make a decision, and they need to win promotion first before looking at the situation.
“They may sit down with the player and think it’s better for him to move on in the summer, so they can go out and strengthen that left-back position if he doesn’t feel Firpo is capable of cutting it in the Premier League.
“But, there’s no panic at the moment. Leeds United do not want to go into the Premier League thinking the left-back could miss parts of the season, so that’s a factor that comes into it. I don’t think it’s an issue at this moment in time, as he still does have a year to run on his deal.”
Patience is needed from Leeds United
The summer transfer window at Elland Road is going to be an incredibly busy period, with some huge decisions to be made by those in charge.
If the club return to the Premier League there will have to be additions to the squad to ensure that the team has enough experience and ability to compete and avoid becoming a yo-yo club.
But if the club somehow end up still being in the Championship then all attentions will turn towards trying to keep everyone together and that could see current plans shifted out of necessity.
Firpo is a player who has performed well in the Championship but struggled in the Premier League previously, and with his injury record and contract situation it makes sense that the club are planning to move him on.
However the level of replacement they can get will be dependent on which league they are playing in, so a decision must not be rushed.
In other Leeds United news, international star to be benched as Summerville decision to be made in predicted XI v Millwall.
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