Leeds United know that they will be playing Premier League football in the 2025/26 campaign, and they must now start to lay down plans for their squad.
The summer transfer window opens for business in June, although business can be done before that, and the Whites will know that they have work to do to build a team that can avoid relegation from the top-flight.
Daniel Farke, speaking after Leeds beat Stoke City 6-0 and sealed promotion to the Premier League, told Sky Sports reporters not to “scare” him with the prospect of next season yet.
The German head coach knows better than most how difficult the top-flight can be, having been relegated and sacked by Norwich City in his two seasons in the division so far.
Farke will know that he needs to be ruthless in the summer transfer window, with players coming in and out of Elland Road, and one player who should be brutally binned from the squad is underperforming goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Why Leeds must cash in on Illan Meslier
The French shot-stopper should be moved on by Leeds before the start of the 2025/26 campaign because he has not performed well enough in the Championship, and was a liability the last time that the club were in the Premier League.
In the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns combined, Meslier conceded a staggering 28.6 more goals than expected based on the post-shot xG of the shots against his goal.
The left-footed dud showed that he was not up to the standard required in the Premier League, certainly as a shot-stopper, with that dreadful record between the sticks, and his performances have once again left a lot to be desired in the second tier.
Meslier was recently dropped from the team in favour of Karl Darlow, who has conceded two goals in five matches since, after making too many errors in goal.
Appearances
44
39
Save success rate
68%
71%
Goals prevented
-4.49
-2.73
Error led to shot
1
0
Error led to goal
1
3
As you can see in the table above, the 25-year-old flop has made three errors that directly led to goals in the current league campaign, whilst he has underperformed as a shot-stopper against his xG in the last two Championship seasons.
These statistics do not suggest that he is ready to make the step up to the Premier League next season, because he has not performed well enough in the league below.
Meslier is also in a tricky position with his contract. His current deal is due to expire in the summer of 2026 and this means that the club would risk losing him for nothing if they do not make a decision on his future this year.
His performances in both the Premier League and the Championship in recent years suggest that the Whites should not commit to keeping him at Elland Road in the long term, which is why they should be looking to cash in on him this summer.
Leeds could, then, use any funds from the potential sale of Meslier to bring in a new goalkeeper, with the hope that they can improve the team and perform well at Premier League level.
The French flop is far from the only member of the current squad who may not be deemed good enough to be part of a top-flight campaign, though, as central defender Max Wober is another dud who must be ruthlessly binned by Farke.
Why Leeds should sell Max Wober
Like Meslier, the Austria international has found himself playing second-fiddle to the likes of Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu, and Pascal Struijk in the centre-back positions.
He has been an unused substitute in 17 of his 24 inclusions in the matchday squad, making seven appearances, in the Championship this season, which does not suggest that Farke trusts him to perform week-in-week-out in the second tier.
The left-footed defender has also missed 23 matches through injury for club and country, with two separate absences with knee injuries, and that has not helped his chances of breaking into the team on a regular basis.
He has started two of his seven outings in the second tier and Leeds may want to find an upgrade on him, given that he has not been trusted in the Championship, ahead of a Premier League season.
One of his two starts in the league this season came in the 3-3 draw away at Hull City earlier this year, and his performance caused Tony Dorigo, during his coverage on BBC Radio Leeds, to heavily criticise the defender.
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Dorigo said: “Wober was miles, miles off it today. You could see in his recovery, the way he was picking up people, everything was half-hearted, everything was slow. Whether he was tired, carrying an injury I don’t know.”
Wober, of course, has also already been relegated from the Premier League with Leeds at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, having joined from RB Salzburg in the January transfer window.
Appearances
16
Starts
14
Clean sheets
2
Dribbled past
8x
Duel success rate
53%
Penalties committed
1
Error led to shot
1
As you can see in the table above, the Austrian defender did not impress in his short time in the top-flight with the Whites, being dribbled past every other game on average and helping to keep just two clean sheets in 16 matches.
Therefore, his lack of minutes and form in the Championship this season does not suggest that he will fare much better this time round, which is why Farke must ruthlessly ditch him from the squad.
Wober, as per Capology, is also within the top ten earners at Elland Road on £35k-per-week, which shows that the club have not got value for money out of his contract, in terms of his contributions on the pitch.
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It is now down to Farke and the club to be ruthless in their decision-making over the summer transfer window, starting with moves away from West Yorkshire for both Meslier and Wober.
