Meslier upgrade: Farke considering bargain Leeds move for "easy-going" star
Meslier upgrade: Farke considering bargain Leeds move for "easy-going" star
Leeds United are currently preparing for another season in the Championship after they lost in the play-off final against Southampton at Wembley last month.
Daniel Farke, who won two promotions from the division during his time with Norwich City, will now be tasked with getting the squad ready for another attempt to return to the Premier League.
The Whites recently learned their schedule for the 2024/25 campaign and face West Bromwich Albion, Hull City, and Burnley within the opening five games, which does not make for an easy start.
Leeds could be in for a rocky start to the season if there is still speculation hanging over the heads of their key players, who have been linked with moves away from West Yorkshire.
Brighton have reportedly been in contact to attempt to sign winger Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto is said to be keen to seal a move back to Italy before the end of the summer transfer window.
There could also be some changes within the goalkeeping department at Elland Road, with one going out and one coming in ahead of next season.
Latest Leeds goalkeeper news
According to the Daily Mail, French side Marseille are interested in a deal to sign Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier to bolster their squad this summer.
The report claims that the Whites need to raise around £100m in player sales this summer after they failed to earn promotion back to the Premier League, with Summerville and Gnonto said to be the most likely stars to be sold.
It states that the Yorkshire-based outfit are looking for a fee within the region of £20m to allow the French shot-stopper to move on from Elland Road.
However, it remains to be seen how much Marseille are willing to pay to land the left-footed goalkeeper, which makes it unclear as to how likely he is to leave the club.
With that uncertainty, the Daily Mail adds that Daniel Farke and his team have been looking at potential replacements for the 24-year-old shot-stopper.
The report claims that Slovakia international Marek Rodak is one of the names that they are considering as a possible successor to Meslier next season.
His contract with Premier League side Fulham is due to expire at the end of the month and this means that the experienced Championship performer is set to be a free agent.
Farke could now sensationally land an upgrade on Meslier whilst making a £20m profit if a team matches their valuation of him and they then swoop for Rodak on a free transfer.
Why Leeds should cash in on Illan Meslier
Leeds should cash in on the former Lorient prospect this summer if an offer of £20m, or a bid close to that, comes in for his services this summer.
He has consistently proven himself to be a liability as a shot-stopper for the Whites and it cost the team at crucial moments in the 2023/24 campaign.
Farke's side finished third in the division on 90 points - six points behind Ipswich Town - and they could have racked up more points to compete for automatic promotion if their goalkeeper had not let them down.
As you can see in the table above, Meslier let in 4.49 more goals than expected based on the xG of the shots against his goal in the Championship last term.
Whereas, for example, Leicester City's Mads Hermansen prevented 4.68 more goals than expected to help his side to secure automatic promotion - a nine-goal swing compared to Meslier.
This suggests that Leeds may have conceded nine fewer goals if they had the Foxes star between the sticks instead of the Frenchman, just based on their respective shot-stopping quality, which could have earned them enough points to bridge the gap between themselves and Ipswich.
Meslier also conceded a staggering 13.14 more goals than expected in the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, which shows that his poor shot-stopping is not a new issue.
Therefore, Leeds must now cash in on the French liability this summer after his lacklustre performances in the Championship and then bring Rodak in as an upgrade on him.
Why Leeds should sign Marek Rodak
Firstly, his availability as a free transfer makes him a bargain target for the West Yorkshire side when they currently have to raise the aforementioned £100m in sales.
The Whites could cash in on Meslier for millions and pocket that money without having to spend any of it on a transfer fee for Rodak this summer.
Secondly, the 27-year-old titan, who was once described as "easy-going" by former teammate Mike McEntegart, is a proven Championship performer who knows what it takes to earn promotion from the division.
He has only made two appearances in the Premier League in the last two seasons, with former Arsenal ace Bernd Leno ahead of him, but his track record in the second tier suggests that he could be an upgrade on Meslier.
As you can see in the table above, Rodak is significantly better than the current Leeds number one when it comes to saving shots in the Championship.
The Slovakian titan won promotion from the division in the 2019/20 and 2021/22 campaign and saved more goals than expected, based on post-shot xG, in both seasons whilst saving more than 75% of the efforts on his goal.
He made 66 appearances across those two years and played a crucial role in the Cottagers' success with his sublime ability to make stat-defying saves.
Whereas, Meslier has consistently shown that he concedes more goals than the average goalkeeper would be expected to, which is why the Marseille target is a liability who should be cashed in on.
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Could be Summerville 2.0: Leeds in the mix to sign "in-form" star
The Whites are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the talented forward this summer.
Rodak is an experienced and proven Championship star who still has plenty left to give at the age of 27 and Farke must now swoop to sign him on a free transfer to improve the goalkeeper position at Elland Road.