Leeds United brought plenty of new faces to Elland Road last summer.
Many of the 49ers’ new recruits have gone on to be important additions, with the likes of Jaka Bijol, Anton Stach, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Gabriel Gudmundsson being amongst some of United’s best players this season.
However, it hasn’t gone to plan for every new signing, with Sebastiaan Bornauw being amongst those who have struggled to establlish themself in the starting XI since arriving in West Yorkshire.
Despite only arriving last summer, one Leeds player in particular could be set to leave Elland Road at the end of the season after being “frustrated” with Daniel Farke.
Lucas Perri is becoming “frustrated” at Leeds
Perri, 28, arrived at Leeds for a fee of around £15.6million, intending to make himself the undisputed first-choice keeper at Farke’s disposal.
However, some shaky performances in the Premier League have seen him be relegated to the bench, with Karl Darlow playing in the league, whilst Perri has found himself in between the sticks for United’s FA Cup run.
In fact, Perri arguably had his best game in a Leeds shirt against West Ham, if you ignore his mistake, which handed the hosts a goal which was later ruled out for offside.
But despite being Leeds’ hero in the penalty shootout and sending them to Wembley, reports from Brazil are suggesting Perri is “frustrated with his situation” after expecting to be the first-choice shot-stopper at Leeds, which was reported by local journalist Jorge Nicola.
Whilst it looks as though Darlow will be Leeds’ keeper for the remainder of the run-in, if the 49ers choose to sign a new goalkeeper in the summer, as has been mooted, then Perri’s frustrations would only grow further, perhaps opening the door to a potential Elland Road exit.
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Data suggests Lucas Perri was impressive against West Ham
If Perri can continue to put in displays as he did for the most part in the FA Cup against West Ham, then there is a chance that Perri could convince Farke to reinstall him as first-choice shot-stopper, but it is hard to imagine such a change coming before the end of the current campaign.
Naturally, most of the attention will go to the two saves Perri made in the shootout; however, the Brazilian also had other areas of his game that he impressed with during the cup tie, as he staked his claim for the number one shirt back.
- During the 120 minutes against West Ham, Perri made four saves, with all four coming from shots inside the box
- Perri completed all 17 passes he attempted in his own half
- Perri also made one successful punch in the game (Sofascore)
The 49ers will be particularly hopeful that Perri can reclaim his place in the team, otherwise Leeds may be stuck with a goalkeeper on their books who, despite arriving for big money, is not trusted to play in the league by Farke.
