Patrick Bamford is getting a lot of plaudits with Leeds United this season – and rightly so.
The 27-year-old striker has arguably been the Whites’ best player since ending their 16-year exile from the Premier League, netting nine goals and only four players have managed more this season.
But one of the unsung heroes of Leeds’ very promising return to the top flight has been Illan Meslier.
The 20-year-old joined United in a £5 million permanent deal from Lorient this past summer and, frankly, the Elland Road club have an absolute gem on their hands.
Top goalkeepers are hot property these days. Liverpool and Chelsea have spent over £150 million on three of them since 2018.
And simply put, Leeds stand to make an enormous profit on Meslier if he continues developing at this rate.
Not that the West Yorkshire side will be looking to sell anytime soon because let’s face it, they’re a huge club.
But the more he impresses in the Premier League, on the biggest stage, the more attention he’ll get and at 20 years old, there’s just no telling how good Meslier could be in the coming years – or how grande his valuation could be.
He has 11 clean sheets across 23 senior appearances under Marcelo Bielsa in total – four of which have come in the top flight – and his performance against Everton last month was one of a goalkeeper with a very bright future in the game.
Outfield players like Bamford always get the praise and, as mentioned, he deserves it, but if Leeds go on to enjoy a brilliant second half of the campaign then Meslier will have played just as big a role, even if it’s less noticeable.
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