For Daniel Farke, the most important part of the goalkeeper’s game at Leeds United is – and will always be – keeping the ball out of the back of his net.
Fortunately, despite a few high-profile blunders, Illan Meslier has done that more often than not this season. Leeds United’s number one remains in contention to win the Championship’s Golden Glove award, just four shy of James Trafford’s remarkable tally of 24 clean sheets.
Meslier responded well to his early mistake at Sheffield United on Monday night too. A couple of convincing gathers and one fine piece of positioning helping restrict the home side to just one goal before Leeds fought back to go five points clear at the summit.
So, while some will argue that Leeds are top of the table despite Mesier rather than because of him, you won’t find Daniel Farke joining the pile-on. Throughout his two seasons in charge at Elland Road, the manager has defended Meslier consistently in the face of criticism, Farke highlighting Meslier’s potential for ‘world-class’ reaction saves as well as the accurate distribution which enables Leeds to dominate possession even against the finest teams in the division.
Meslier completed 84 per cent of his passes as Leeds triumphed 3-1 at Bramall Lane. Michael Cooper in the opposition dugout, in contrast, mustered a completion rate of just 46 per cent.
Daniel Farke likes Illan Meslier’s ability to start attacks at Leeds United
“When a goalkeeper returns back with a clean sheet into the dressing room, for me, it’s always world-class because this is his main task,” Farke said back in May of last year, following a 0-0 draw at Norwich City in the first-leg of the play-off semi-finals.
“[But] we’re always speaking, me as well, because I like to use the goalkeeper in the build-up a lot. Normally [Meslier] is a player, for a goalkeeper, who’s really comfortable with the ball and also important for our game.”
So, the implication is clear amid with reports suggesting that Leeds will consider bringing a new goalkeeper to Elland Road this summer.
Anyone arriving to either replace Meslier or compete with him for a starting spot must be capable of adapting to Farke’s demands rather than the other way around.
TBR Football report that Leeds are monitoring Aaron Ramsdale’s situation at Southampton. The England international is understood to have a relegation clause in his contract worth somewhere in the region of £25 million.
Former employers Arsenal certainly raised eyebrows back in 2021 when they plucked Ramsdale out of relegated Sheffield United. Mikel Arteta admitted that this was a deal seen as somewhat ‘controversial’ at the time – the perception was that The Gunners had recently sold a far better glovesman in Emi Martinez – but the Arsenal boss was insistent that Ramsdale was the man they needed to turn his side into genuine title challengers.
Given how impressive Ramsdale would prove to be as Arsenal took Manchester City right down to the wire in 2022/23 – he was included in the Premier League’s Team of the Year that season – even the goalkeeper’s biggest doubters found themselves chowing down on humble pie.
Aaron Ramsdale could be ideal Daniel Farke goalkeeper
Of course, following the arrival of David Raya soon after, Ramsdale’s Arsenal career would unravel pretty quickly.
Mistakes started to creep into his game – probably a result of a lack of match sharpness as opportunities dwindled – and now he finds himself rock bottom with Championship-bound Southampton only a couple of years after he was being included in debates alongside Alisson and Ederson when discussing the Premier League’s finest glovesman.
Leeds, if they were to bring Ramsdale to Elland Road, would therefore be embarking upon something of a renovation project. A player who’s reputation and confidence is understandably not what it was, partly due to factors outside of his control.
But while Arteta’s initial belief in the former Bournemouth number one was partly down to his fine passing range as well as his sharp reflexes, Ramsdale’s ability to slip effortlessly into a possession-based system is also likely to be a major factor in Leeds’ emerging interest.
“He is a great character,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard said of Ramsdale, praising his resilience in the face of Raya’s arrival in North London. “We have two good goalkeepers there and it’s big competition.
“Two top goalkeepers, with different qualities, and both so good on the ball and in the goal as well.”
Ramsdale’s most memorable moment in an Arsenal shirt arguably came in a 3-0 victory over Leicester City in October 2021. A performance best remembered for his remarkable stop to keep out a James Maddison free-kick. One which earned Ramsdale the Premier League’s Save of the Season award.
For Arsenal legend Ian Wright, however, that stunning reach was not the only part of Ramsdale’s game which caught the eye that day at the King Power.
“His distribution is absolutely fantastic,” Wright said. “Just magnificent.”
Daniel Farke is right when he says that, for a goalkeeper, the most important thing is always the clean sheet. But if you are a manager who prides himself upon a possession-heavy approach, then a number one who can begin attacks in one moment while killing them stone dead at the other is just about the best of both worlds.
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