Leeds United have lost several of their key players after the team failed to gain promotion to the Premier League for the first time last season.
The Whites lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May, finishing third in the division and now in their second campaign in the Championship.
Daniel Farke had to watch on as Archie Gray, Georgino Rutter, Crysencia Summerville and Glen Kamara all left Elland Road on permanent deals.
Gray and Rutter have been reported to have £40m release clauses activated by Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton respectively, with recent claims that the current Leeds man is looking to copy them.
Illan Meslier’s contract situation
Reporter Ben Jacobs spoke to GIVEMESPORT last week that Illan Meslier would like a release clause in his West Yorkshire contract.
The report claims the left-footed shot-stopper would want to protect himself in the event Leeds fail to earn promotion again, with a clause that would allow him to join the top-flight.
Meslier is currently under contract until the summer of 2026, meaning the Frenchman could remain in the second division for two more seasons if the Whites do not decide to take him apart from promotion.
Still, Jacobs added that the 49ers want to remove such clauses from current contracts and refuse to include them in future deals, suggesting the French goaltender may not get his way in negotiating new terms.
The 49ers finally need to release Illan Meslier
With this latest news in mind, the 49ers and Leeds must finally cash in on the discontent as he is apparently already considering a move away from the club if they fail to progress.
After seeing so many key players move on due to release clauses this summer, the Whites cannot allow their assets to control their own future and potentially leave the squad short-handed when teams come in and activate the clause.
That’s why the 49ers should brutally dump Meslier and bring in a goaltender committed to a long-term goal under Farke, be it in January or next summer.
23/24 Championship
Illan Meslier
Perform
44
The save success rate
68%
Goal blocked
-4.49
Mistakes led to shots
1
Mistakes led to goals
1
Red cards
1
Statistics via Sofascore
As you can see in the chart above, the 24-year-old thief was significantly worse as a shot stopper, conceding 4.49 more than expected based on xG efforts on his goal, while also committing two direct fouls which led to the shot. or SUBJECT.
Meslier kept 18 clean sheets in the Championship last season and shared the Golden Glove with West Brom’s Alex Palmer, but this statistic suggests that the Leeds defense deserved the accolade more than the Frenchman.
The Whites protege has also conceded a staggering 28.6 more goals than expected based on xG backlogs against him in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Premier League seasons.
Those stats don’t show that Meslier’s performance in recent years has been good enough to justify wanting a release clause for a major move, which is another reason the 49ers should move him and sign a better, more committed goaltender.