Leeds United are flying high in the Championship this season, and seem destined for promotion. The Whites are level on points with second-place Sheffield United, who are vying with them for the league title in the second tier. The gap between Yorkshire club Leeds and their Lancashire rivals Burnley currently stands at just two points, however.
Some of Leeds’ biggest attacking threats have been on fire this season. Daniel James is in sensational form, and has ten goals and nine assists so far this term. Striker Joel Piroe has also been playing superbly, and has 15 goals and six assists.
At the opposite end of the pitch, it has been a slightly tougher season for Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier.
Meslier’s 2024/25 season
It has been a rough campaign for Leeds number one Meslier. The Frenchman, who has been capped at under-21 level for his country, has been an ever-present for the Whites in goal this season.
He has played all 35 of their games in the Championship, conceding 22 times and keeping an impressive 20 clean sheets. However, he has made some crucial mistakes, which have cost Leeds points.
Perhaps the worst of the lot came against Sunderland, a side pushing for the playoffs, back in October. In a bizarre moment with Leeds 2-1 up in stoppage time, he failed to catch the flick-on from a Black Cats attacker, simply letting the ball shoot under his body and roll into the back of the net.
Described as a “hindrance” by Lewis Deighton, a fan writer for BBC Sport, the Frenchman has statistically been one of the worst shot-stoppers in the Championship this season.
As per Sofascore, he has prevented -1.33 goals, better than only 13 goalkeepers. For context, Blades’ number one Michael Cooper has prevented 4.92 goals.
Meslier’s form has been an issue for Leeds at times this season, despite their good performances across the board. They once had someone at the club who could have been a big upgrade on him, but left Elland Road on a cheap deal.
Leeds already sold a dream Meslier upgrade
It might be frustrating for Leeds fans to see what Kasper Schmeichel has achieved since leaving the club. He spent one season in Yorkshire in the 2010/11 campaign, before departing the club and going on to achieve great things.
Where Are They Now
Indeed, the Dane, son of former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, made 40 appearances across all competitions in a Leeds shirt 15 years ago. Admittedly, his record was not astounding. He conceded 55 goals and kept just ten clean sheets in that time.
In June 2011, the Denmark international, who now plies his trade at Scottish giants Celtic, made the move from Elland Road to the East Midlands to join Leicester City for a reported £1m fee. The rest, as they say, is history.
Schmeichel played 479 times for the Foxes, conceding 586 goals in that time, and managing to keep an impressive 187 clean sheets.
The highlight of his time at the club was surely winning the Premier League in 2015/16, in the most unlikely of circumstances. He also lifted the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2021.
The stats on Squawka suggest that the legendary Danish goalkeeper has been outperforming Meslier in many areas this season.
For example, Schmeichel makes 2.3 saves and concedes 0.6 goals per game, compared to 1.7 saves made and 0.7 goals conceded each game by Meslier.
Stat (per 90)
Schmeichel
Meslier
Saves
2.3
1.7
Goals conceded
0.6
0.7
Clean sheets
0.7
0.6
Save percentage
79.27%
72.15%
Pass accuracy
94.55%
78.42%
Former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers described Schmeichel as one of the “top keepers” in the Premier League back in March 2021, and it is not hard to see why. The qualities he possessed then, and still does, could have served Leeds well.
Perhaps they wish they had kept Schmeichel around at the club beyond the 2010/11 season. They could have had a brilliant goalkeeper who would have been a long-term fit in the sticks for the club.
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