Phil Hay: Leeds United talk about signing new second-choice goalkeeper
Leeds United are talking about signing a new goalkeeper to add to the squad this summer, according to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay.
Leeds completed their sixth signing of the summer on Thursday (7 July) by snapping up Colombia winfer Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord.
Hay adds that Leeds’ business is reaching a conclusion but claims that the Whites are still in for a striker, mentioning Club Brugge’s Charles De Ketelaere, and mooted the arrival of a new goalkeeper too.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Phil Hay Show podcast on 8 July (24m45s), Hay said: “If [Raphinha] is going and a forward is coming in – and obviously they do like De Ketelaere – then that seems to me to be the process left for them, which is a pretty good position to be in at this stage of the summer.
“There are players that are going to go out on loan. Tyler Roberts has gone to QPR and Jamie Shackleton’s got plenty of interest in him.
“And they have been talking about a new second-choice goalkeeper although I’m not aware of any movement on that front.
“But these are more minor and peripheral things to sort out but in terms of the core business, they’ve done a good job with getting on with it.”
Makes a lot of sense
Kiko Casilla doesn’t look as though he’s in the picture after he was loaned out to Elche last season and Meslier, Leeds’ current number one, is the eldest goalkeeper at Elland Road as it stands – and he’s only 22.
Kristoffer Klaesson is the current second-choice but he’s only 21 and lacks a lot of experience.
It would make a lot of sense for Leeds to sign an experienced goalkeeper to not only serve as back-up for Meslier but to also pass that experience off on the Frenchman and the other youngster shot-stoppers at Elland Road.
Ben Foster is currently a free agent and has a wealth of Premier League experience with clubs of a similar standing to Leeds.
Thomas Strakosha, David Ospina, Salvatore Sirigu, Sergio Romero and Loris Karius are also without clubs right now and all of them have experience in major European leagues.
Leeds got lucky last season with Meslier not missing out on a single starting line-up.
Klaesson did well in that one game when he had to come off the bench at Wolves when Meslier was injured.
But it would make a lot of sense to loan him out for some good experience in English football and then sign a new back-up ‘keeper.
In other Leeds United news, this Whites star has informed the club he refuses to participate in pre-season preparations.