Leeds United captain Ethan Ampadu was the heartbeat of the team that outperformed expectations and finished 14th in the Premier League last season.
Several bigger Premier League clubs made enquiries about the possibility of signing Ampadu ahead of the summer. However, he signed a new contract with Leeds to signal his commitment.
He didn’t even negotiate a relegation clause in the new contract, which showed his confidence in Leeds’ plans in the coming years, and he wants to be in the thick of it.
However, there are uncertainties about the future of certain players, and Pascal Struijk is one of Leeds’ mainstays who could leave Elland Road this summer.
Ethan Ampadu issues a plea to Pascal Struijk
Pascal Struijk has a year left on his contract, and the defender is considering seeking a fresh challenge away from Elland Road in the upcoming transfer window.
Leeds would prefer to keep him at Elland Road, but are ready to accept offers for the defender if he doesn’t agree to sign a new contract this summer.
The Whites do not want to lose a player of Struijk’s quality on a free transfer next year, and want a quick resolution around his future in the coming weeks.
Ethan Ampadu conceded that he would be sad to see Struijk leave the club this summer and is desperate to see the Dutchman stay at Elland Road and achieve greater things with Leeds.
Ampadu was quoted as saying by Leeds Live: “I hope that everyone can be here.
“I think we’ve achieved something great this season, and I believe that everyone wants to go and achieve greater things. So I think obviously it’d be very sad to see anyone going, obviously Pascal included.”
Leeds must get ruthless with the defender
Daniel Farke would ideally like Pascal Struijk to commit his future to Leeds United and remain at Elland Road, but that situation remains unresolved.
With the summer transfer window on the horizon, the Leeds boss needs clarity. The club cannot afford to wait until the closing stages of the window for Struijk to make a decision, only to be then left searching for a replacement at short notice.
Farke and the club hierarchy will want the Dutch defender to make his intentions clear before pre-season begins next month, allowing Leeds to plan accordingly.
The last thing Leeds need is uncertainty surrounding one of their key players disrupting preparations for the new campaign. Whether Struijk decides to stay or move on, the club would be far better served by having that answer sooner rather than later.
He has been a fabulous servant to Leeds and is a key player but the article is correct. If he doesn’t want to commit then he needs to be sold. A great player but not irreplaceable.