Leeds United managed to bring in 10 new players to Elland Road in the summer. The Whites knew they had to bring in quality and depth ahead of their return to the Premier League.
Recruitment was geared towards getting quality into the team; most of the summer signings were from top teams in Europe. Per reports, there was an emphasis on physicality as the players needed to be able to adapt to English football.
Leeds did a good job bringing in a new goalkeeper, cover in defence and adding midfielders to the team. It was the attack which had a lot of question marks, with the signings of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha.
Illan Meslier could still leave Leeds United
When it came to the summer exits however, it was quite different. Leeds only managed to ship out a handful of unwanted players, with most of them going out on loan. It was very frustrating that the club only managed to move two players on a permanent deal.
At the end of the summer, one player that remained was Illan Meslier. The French goalkeeper was benched at the end of last season with Karl Darlow deputizing for the last seven games as the Whites lifted the Championship trophy. It was quite clear that he would be replaced in the summer, with many expecting him to be sold. But club chiefs revealed that Meslier stayed because the deals that came in were not suitable for the player and Leeds United.
The 25-year old has been in and out of matchday squads from the start of the season, and now there has been an update on his future this week. Graham Smyth said on the Inside Elland Road podcast that the situation with the Frenchman ‘could change’.
Club should have taken action a long time ago
Leeds have taken too long on making a decision on Meslier’s future. At this point in time, he is all but gone considering his contract expires in the summer. He is open to negotiate contracts with foreign clubs and will most likely join one at the end of his deal. So Leeds miss out on any potential funds for PSR because they failed to sell him when there was interest in the summer window. Now all the club can do is wait for the Frenchman to leave on his own terms.
