With 12 Premier League games to play, Leeds United sit in 19th place in the table and the threat of relegation is as great as it ever has been. But if Leeds go down, which players will stay at Elland Road – and which players will go?
Leeds do have a string of games that give Javi Gracia the chance to keep the Whites in the Premier League. Four points from a possible nine is a solid start, but a win at Wolves on Saturday is needed. If we go down, a fire sale is likely.
Which players will stay or go if Leeds go down:
Players that should stay
There will a load of youngsters that will benefit from Leeds going down. Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood, Archie Gray, Darko Gyabi, Mateo Joseph, Leo Hjelde and Diogo Monteiro’s chances of first-team football will surely stay at Leeds.
In terms of senior players, Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas, Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford and Pascal Struijk came up with Leeds and are likely to stick around. In terms of the players that have joined Leeds since promotion, there is a few.
Brenden Aaronson is still young and he surely remains, as he continues to search for an impact at Leeds. Having spent £25m on him, Leeds would rather be patient with him. The same with Georgie Rutter and Crysencio Summerville.
Those out on loan that could stay at Leeds if we go down as well as Gelhardt and Hjelde includes Charlie Cresswell, Lew Bate and Cody Drameh – all of which have impressed since leaving Leeds on loan last summer.
Players LeedsUnited.News predict to stay – if Leeds go down: Gelhardt, Greenwood, Gray, Gyabi, Joseph, Monteiro, Ayling, Dallas, Cooper, Bamford, Struijk, Aaronson, Rutter, Summerville, Hjelde, Cresswell, Bate and Drameh.
Players that could go
The most-obvious place to start is those with contracts running down. Adam Forshaw and Joel Robles are likely to see their deals expire. Then there is Weston McKennie, who certainly will not be signing permanently if we are relegated.
Plenty of Leeds players have interest in their services, too. Jack Harrison and Robin Koch are out of contract in June 2024. Leicester almost got Harrison – while Koch has interest from Newcastle, Tottenham and Leipzig. Both could go.
Top scorer Rodrigo is also out of contract in 2024 – and Leeds will be unlikely to extend his deal in the event of going down. So, selling him this summer would make sense. Junior Firpo has interest from Inter, and that could grow.
Tyler Adams will not be playing in the Championship and Marc Roca may decide to go back to Spain. Illan Meslier, Willy Gnonto, Max Wober, Luis Sinisterra, Rasmus Kristensen will all generate interest from abroad if we do go down.
Those out on loan that are will go include those struggling to perform at their loan clubs like Ian Poveda, Tyler Roberts, Jack Jenkins, Mateusz Bogusz, Jamie Shackleton, Stuart McKinstry Dan James and Helder Costa.
LeedsUnited.News predict to go: Forshaw, Robles, McKennie, Harrison, Koch, Rodrigo, Firpo, Adams, Roca, Meslier, Gnonto, Wober, Sinisterra, Kristensen, Poveda, Roberts, Jenkins, Bogusz, Shackleton, McKinstry, James and Costa.
