Meslier wants exit clause assurances

Good Morning. It's Monday 9th September, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...


Meslier wants exit clause assurances

Illan Meslier wants assurances that he'll be able to leave Elland Road next Summer if Leeds fail to return to the top flight, come next May!

The 24 year old shot-stopper is one of Leeds longer serving servants, having initially joined on loan during the Summer of 2019, then making the move permanent twelve months later, in a deal worth £5m. He replaced Kiko Casilla between the sticks whilst the Spaniard served an eight match ban for alleged racial abuse towards former West Brom forward Jonathan Leko, and with seven clean sheets from ten, never looked back.

Lack of competition for the No1 jersey has meant that Meslier's position has never been put to the test, apart from a brief stint on the bench during the 22/23 season finale. His distribution and failure to command his penalty area at times have been a cause of concern to many, who would not be sorry had he left the club in the Summer.

The former French U21 International wants a release clause inserted into his contract that would come into place if Leeds fail to win promotion. From his point of view, every other player worth his salt had that option, so why shouldn't he? According to Ben Jacobs:

The 49ers enterprise's approach is very much that their hands have been a bit tied contractually, and anyone that they negotiate with, they want to try and remove that clause. "But of course, from the player's point of view, if you knew the clause existed for others, or you signed a new long-term deal, and I think this is particularly the case, from what I hear, with Meslier.

The player may want to protect themselves against the fact that if Leeds don't go up, they're stuck on a long-term deal, and maybe they feel their development is elsewhere. So it's a balancing act.

Joseph refuses to rule out La Liga return

Mateo Joseph was on the scoresheet for Spain U21's, grabbing the winner against Scotland on Friday night at the Tynecastle Stadium. Joseph, a rare Victor Orta find, had only been on the pitch for five minute when he popped up in the box to smash Sanchez's cross past Cieran Slicker. His latest contribution has seen the 20yo linked with a call-up to Luis De La Fuente's senior squad.

He signed a contract extension in January, committing himself to the Whites until the Summer of 2028. His ever-growing list of admirers will have to dig deep if they are persuade Leeds to part with the former 'Racing Santander' youth prodigy. Even so, during a recent radio interview, Joseph kept his cards close to his chest, refusing to rule out a return to Spain. According to 'Onda Cero'...

Spain is where I grew up. And who knows whether I’ll be able to return in the future.