Leeds United signed Karl Darlow to be the backup goalkeeper to Illan Meslier in the Championship. This came about after many worries that the French keeper was regressing in his development.
After a bright start to his career at Elland Road, Meslier started making some high profile errors. But he was the number one in the Championship. That was until the end of last season, that Daniel Farke made a huge decision to bench the French stopper. Karl Darlow came in goal for the rest of the season, and Leeds ended up winning the Championship on the final day.
Many expected this summer to be the last for Meslier, who was expected to leave after losing his spot in the team. The rumours increased after Lucas Perri arrived for a big fee from Lyon. Meslier ended up staying at Elland Road after he received no satisfactory offers this summer
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Karl Darlow to start over Lucas Perri this weekend
Karl Darlow Credit: Imago
The Brazilian had a nice start to the season with two clean sheets against Everton and Newcastle, but went down with an injury. This meant Darlow needed to step up again as number one. The Welsh international showed that he has what it takes to be a keeper at this level with stunning performances against Fulham and Wolves.
But he conceded two goals against Tottenham, where many fans felt he was at fault for. Former Premier League keeper Ben Foster even criticized his save technique on both efforts. With Lucas Perri back in training now, most expected the Brazilian to be available for the Burnley game, but Daniel Farke has confirmed that Darlow will remain in goal:
”[Lucas] Perri not a topic for starting lineup straight away. Seven weeks without game so it takes one or two weeks to get up to speed.
”[Karl] Darlow was always going to start.”
Daniel Farke maintains his principles
Farke is one who does not look at price tags to choose his lineups; this season some of the new signings have yet to kick a ball in the Premier League. And the German has confirmed that he selects based on what he sees in training and not even transfer fees can influence that.
This decision to keep Darlow in goal accurately mirrors what he has stuck to since the start of the season.
