Leeds United latest as Graham Smyth gives Meslier update and summer signing vows to improve

A total of 12 Leeds United players left Elland Road during a busy summer transfer window.

Rasmus Kristensen and Sam Greenwood made permanent moves to Eintracht Frankfurt and Pogon Szczecin respectively and Patrick Bamford, Josuha Guilavogui and Junior Firpo all departed on free transfers, with the latter re-joining former club Real Betis. Several players made loan moves with Max Wober, Largie Ramazani, Mateo Joseph and Joe Gelhardt amongst those to make temporary switches elsewhere.

However, one player that remained at Elland Road was goalkeeper Illan Meslier, who was expected to head to pastures new following the arrival of Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri. Karl Darlow appears to be Daniel Farke’s first choice as backup stopper and that has left Meslier unclear as to what could lie ahead. The YEP’s chief football writer Graham Smyth has given some insight into the situation and stressed he is not surprised Leeds have found it difficult to find a willing suitor for the former France Under-21 international.

He told the Inside Elland Road podcast: “I thought we’d see the departure of a Gruev or maybe even [Joel] Piroe. I certainly thought [Illan] Meslier would go. The club’s defence, I suppose, to not selling some players will be that fans and people like me, the players that we want them to sell are the players that would probably be hardest to sell. You know, you look at Meslier, you think, is a club going to give him the wage that he’s on at Leeds? Given what’s happened over the last two, three seasons, given what happened last season?

“He’s no longer number one at a Championship club, nevermind a Premier League club. He’s been replaced by Karl Darlow. He’s then found himself third in the pecking order, and it’s quite clear there’s no place for him in the league squad. So, that’s a big red flag, you know, for a buying club. I’m not really surprised that they find it difficult to shift him.”

Whites summer signing vows to improve

Leeds United enjoyed a productive summer transfer window that they will hope will have laid the foundations for a successful battle to avoid an immediate return to the Premier League.

Around £100 million was spent bringing in ten new singings and they have helped produce a solid start to the new campaign after Farke’s men claimed four points from their opening three games of the season. Much has been made of how the Whites would adapt their attacking style of play in the top flight and although there was a heavy defeat at Arsenal, there were two real positives as Leeds kept clean sheets in the opening night win against Everton and the home draw with Newcastle.

For former Magpies midfielder Sean Longstaff, who made a summer move to Elland Road, ensuring the Whites remain solid at the back will be the key for success this season and he believes there is even more improvement to come from his new side throughout the campaign.

The summer signing said: “It’s massive. I think you look at the teams that have come up in previous years and they have probably gone about it a different way in terms of their style. It can get even better, there’s no doubt about that. They want to implement their style and probably forget about the most important thing which is not conceding goals because unless you do that you will never have a chance to win a game and we have done that really well so far.

“It can get even better, there’s no doubt about that, but I think as a start I think we have got to be pretty happy. It’s relentless. From the first minute until the very last, you never feel like you can switch off for a second because a good team can take advantage of that.”

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