Victor Orta has revealed that Leeds United won’t be losing their loan players before the 2019-20 campaign is completed.
Leeds are top of the Championship with a seven-point cushion in the automatic promotion places.
If not for the global health crisis, Marcelo Bielsa’s could and probably would have been a Premier League side again, for the first time in 16 years.
The EFL have repeatedly stated their intention to finish the 2019-20 season, though no concrete plan is in place as of yet.
Leeds have a number of influential loan players – Ben White, Helder Costa, Jack Harrison and Illan Meslier, all four of whom were key players for Bielsa when the season was suspended.
But with their deals only running until June, little was known what was going to happen to the Whites’ loan contingent, but their Director of Football Orta has said that they’ll be available to play the final nine games, if they go ahead.
He told Guillem Balague’s official YouTube channel: “We need to have good relations with the clubs. I have five loan players and I am doing this. For Lorient, for Man City, for Brighton, for Wolves, they continue the loan of the players with me.
“At the end of the day, whoever we are talking about, it’s extending a contract six weeks or seven weeks.With loan players, it’s the same.”
This is very good news for Leeds.
Without White, Costa and Harrison, United are liable to collapse and with Kiko Casilla suspended, Meslier was a vitally-important member of the squad when the season was halted.
If Bielsa’s side do get to play their final nine games, it’s a big boost that the squad will be just as he left it, though Jean-Kevin Augustin, on loan from Leipzig, might be fully fit.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
