Leeds United were last promoted to the Premier League in 2020.
The 2020/21 season will live long in the Hearts of Leeds United fans. After returning to the top flight of English football for the first time in 20 years. The club finished ninth in that season, and won more points and scored more goals than any other newly promoted team within the last 20 years.
Marcelo Bielsa guided the club to a historic finish, which left fans at Elland Road with high expectations for the following season. That summer, the club signed Dan James, Junior Firpo and Jack Harrison to improve on the team as they prepared for another Premier League campaign.
QUIZ: Can you name the Leeds game these 10 goal celebrations are from?
How Leeds United star’s future became complicated
Credit: Imago Images
The club were expected to build on the previous season, where their signings of Raphinha and Rodrigo Moreno were instant hits. Daniel James and Jack Harrison were attacking pieces the team needed out wide, while Junior Firpo was brought in as the long term option at left back.
The Dominican Republic international arrived from Barcelona for €15million on a four year deal. His time at the club did not go off to a good start as he only managed to start 19 league games. Firpo’s unavailability was an issue in his early Leeds United days, the club’s coaches had serious concerns about his fitness. The left back only managed 19 games in the next season and fans grew frustrated as he missed most of the season and only returned to play regularly in January 2023.
By the summer of 2023, two years had gone by and the club had a player on high wages who was barely fit to play. Daniel Farke took over that season, and had to rely on free agent signing Sam Byram as Firpo once again played 26 out of a possible 46 games. The left back returned in the middle of the season and featured consistently until the playoff final.
This summer, with one year left on his Leeds United contract, Firpo never hid the fact that he could leave in 2025. He even granted an interview last month to announce his future:
“I have my options, I think everyone knows, it’s not a thing that I can hide. I had my options and I could go away, but as you say, my family is settled here. We are doing really good at the moment, but we don’t know what the future will say for me.”
With over seven months left, Leeds fans have braced themselves for his exit. With some even glad he is on his way out of the club. Daniel Farke needs to act fast and replace Firpo with a long term solution; Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin is one of the names linked to Leeds United.
