Illan Meslier has been on the substitutes bench for the last three Leeds United games, with Karl Darlow starting in Lucas Perri’s absence.
Leeds United also have Alex Cairns as well, but it’s become clear that Meslier is the third-choice Leeds goalkeeper this season. Outside of a pre-season, he has not played for the Whites since a mistake against Swansea City in late-March.
It’s no great surprise that Leeds were open to selling Meslier this summer, especially after Meslier was stripped of his No.1 Leeds shirt number as well. It was handed to Lucas Perri for the start of the season in literal and metaphorical terms.
He remains despite interest and in spite of Leeds offering Meslier out to other clubs for around £5-6 million in Europe late on in the window as well. Therefore, he could be forgiven for not having much buy-in to the team’s results.
Illan Meslier’s passionate Leeds celebration against Bournemouth
Stuart Dallas has backed Meslier publicly in recent weeks but his place in the pecking order could mean he is kicking up a fuss or showing signs of being visibly unhappy, but that has not been the case so far.
Despite his personal situation at Leeds, the 25-year-old has been contracted to Leeds since 2019. That was on an initial loan from Lorient, before making the deal permanent in the following summer under Marcelo Bielsa’s tutelage.
Having now played for Leeds 216 times, Meslier is one of the longest-serving players at Elland Road. His commitment clearly cannot be questioned after the most recent footage has emerged from the 2-2 draw with AFC Bournemouth.
Leeds came from behind to take the lead, with Sean Longstaff scoring a stunner to put Leeds into the lead. In the YouTube short below, Meslier is the player who comes out of the dugout from the bench the furthest to celebrate wildly and enthusiastically.
Graham Smyth expected Meslier to be sold by Leeds and is surprised he remained past the deadline with 12 others leaving Leeds in the summer window instead. However, his mental state regarding Leeds is clearly without question and in the right place.
It’s not the first time he has been animated on the bench, with Meslier involved in an altercation on the sidelines against Wolves recently as well.
- READ MORE: Graham Smyth spotted something went unnoticed involving Leeds duo Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff
All the summer transfer interest in Illan Meslier
At one stage, Turkey looked ‘very likely’ for Meslier. However, there were other clubs in the mix, with both PSG and Como considering Meslier as a back-up goalkeeper.
That came amid reports that Lorient were keen to re-sign Meslier. But then Valencia and Rangers had late interest in Meslier. Nothing came of it, but Smyth’s deadline day reveal outlined that Lorient and Valencia looked the most likely.
The latest interest comes from Inter Milan in Meslier. The Frenchman can leave on a pre-contract agreement to a foreign club in January, which would then come into effect at the end of the 2025/26 season.
A parting of ways is best long-term for the Frenchman — be that in January or next summer — but it’s pleasing to see how much he loves Leeds after his six-year association.
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