"Simply not good enough" - Leeds United urged to consider Illan Meslier action | OneFootball

FLW's Leeds United fan pundit is less than impressed with Illan Meslier after his latest mistake against Preston North End.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Illan Meslier has been Daniel Farke's go-to goalkeeper since his arrival at the club, featuring in almost every Championship fixture over the last two seasons.

He should continue to do so for the whole season as the new vice-captain, but recent developments have perhaps highlighted that Leeds clearly have an issue between the sticks with Meslier, who has made high-profile errors against Portsmouth, Norwich City, and Sunderland already this season.

The latest came against Preston North End over the weekend, with Meslier seemingly falling backwards in an attempt to save Brad Potts' shot for the opening goal at Deepdale. It could be Leeds' undoing in a season of fine margins in the race for automatic promotion.

The Leeds United verdict on Illan Meslier's future

We asked FLW’s Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith for his thoughts on the latest mistake from Meslier, and whether they should cash in this January if a bid comes in. If not, should Leeds be looking to replace him in the near future anyway?

He said: "There's a really strange narrative going round online at the moment with Illan Meslier.

"He really is dividing opinion. You've got a lot of vocal fans pointing to the odd good save as a reason to why he's more than good enough for the team that he's in, and for the future in the long-term as well.

"But then, everyone else is looking at games like Preston as the latest example of Meslier simply not being good enough this season.

"On top of the howler at Sunderland that cost us two points, and the shocker against Portsmouth on the opening day too, which arguably cost us another two points.

"We'd be cruising to promotion already if those mistakes were not being made; it's simply not good enough.

"Especially when you consider that there's basically no upside to his distribution as well, or his claiming of crosses and dealing with set-pieces. They are subpar as well, because he can't distribute as well as when he first broke through under Marcelo Bielsa.

"There are only so many times when you can tolerate those sorts of errors, like at Sunderland, like Preston or Portsmouth, when that 'keeper is playing well, but Meslier is not playing well.

"He's also having these errors, and it really frustrates me that we are having to put up with this when we are years on from his debut.

"In my mind, replacing him would be obvious in 2025. But I just can't see it being the case with Farke, annoyingly.

"It is going to cost us more and more points as the season goes on."

This isn't the first scenario where Leeds fans have been calling for the Frenchman to be dropped, with many fans saying his career continues to regress after his impressive start in West Yorkshire.

There is no doubt that he is one of the weaker links in the starting line-up and lacks consistency, which is something they may wish to address in January. He once had undeniable potential, but his weaknesses as Leeds' first-choice goalkeeper are becoming hard to ignore.

His biggest issue lies in his inconsistency with silly errors and also his command of the box. Despite his 6'6" frame, Meslier often hesitates when dealing with crosses, failing to dominate the air and making set-pieces and high balls more dangerous for Leeds.

His shot-stopping ability, while capable of producing spectacular saves, is undermined by lapses in concentration and poor handling, which have led to avoidable goals. A parting of ways is not very likely in January, but is something to consider if his form is maintained.

Now in his sixth season with the Whites, there are no more excuses for the Frenchman, and a sale is especially worth considering now that he is into the final 18 months of his contract at Elland Road. French side Stade Rennes have identified the 24-year-old stopper as a target recently, and bids should arguably be considered if they are made next month.