Illan Meslier seems highly unlikely to be at Leeds next season.
The Frenchman sees his contract expire in July, and could even leave Elland Road before then as AC Milan and Strasbourg consider winter moves for the goalkeeper – who has fallen behind Lucas Perri and Karl Darlow in the pecking order.
Having been ousted by Daniel Farke, it would be normal for Illan Meslier to feel disillusioned and disconnected at Leeds – but he is proving himself to be an exceptional teammate as footage emerges from Saturday’s thriller against Liverpool.
Illan Meslier puts his personal issues aside to back Leeds United
Meslier was not even on the bench for the 3-3 draw against Liverpool despite returning to the squad in place of Darlow for the 3-2 defeat at Manchester City.
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Farke later admitted that move was purely due to the Wales international being injured.
It reaffirmed that Meslier is firmly out of the picture at Leeds, but despite being shoved aside as his contract nears an end, the 25-year-old was still over the moon to see Tanaka equalise in the 96th minute against Liverpool.
As you can see, footage released by Leeds of the dugout after the Japan international fired beyond Alisson Becker shows Meslier completely losing it, jumping for joy as his teammates snatched a point.
As aforesaid, it would have been easy for the man born in Lorient to totally check out of this season given his individual situation, but he clearly has a lot of love for Leeds based off his reaction to Tanaka’s goal – regardless of his own uncertain future.
Passion for Leeds United suggests Illan Meslier would consider staying
This situation is not as black and white as it seems, as Darlow also sees his contract end in July.
The game that finally saw Daniel Farke drop Illan Meslier ❌
Two mistakes that Farke simply could not ignore.
It means Farke technically only has Perri signed up for next season as things stand.
With Darlow ten years older than Meslier, it would make sense to keep the latter around in terms of resale value and development, although the question would be whether the Frenchman wants to commit himself to a backup role for any longer.
However, the new footage of Meslier going berserk with the coaching staff after Tanaka struck – in his own clothes having been axed from the matchday squad – now suggests he could jump at the chance to stay, even in a backup role.
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