Leeds United did manage to seal the Championship title with a bumper 100 points come the end of the 46-game marathon, but Daniel Farke’s side certainly made life a lot harder for themselves in the goalkeeper department.
Illan Meslier’s error-prone performances between the sticks nearly proved costly, resulting in the German having to bring in stand-in keeper Karl Darlow for the final few tense clashes of the second-tier campaign.
Whilst the ex-Newcastle United stopper did prove himself to be a solid performer in goal, it’s unlikely that Farke will solely rely on the Wales international to be his outright number one in such a daunting division.
Therefore, a whole host of new faces are being linked to step up and take on the first team mantle in goal, with this alternative target now being tipped to make the switch to Elland Road over the heavily fancied Caoimhin Kelleher.
Leeds' pursuit of a new keeper
Kelleher is one of the main names being touted to become Farke’s brand-new number one ahead of Premier League football returning to West Yorkshire, with the Irishman reportedly available for around the £30m mark.
He is mentioned as a possible Meslier replacement by the Daily Mail too, but the new report from the Mail does suggest that other top-flight experienced ‘keepers are on the Leeds agenda, such as ex-Arsenal man Aaron Ramsdale.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ reserve keeper Sam Johnstone is also floating about as a potential number one option, but if Leeds want to land an even more impressive buy than Kelleher, they should be going all in for Ramsdale over other figures.
The 27-year-old has suffered from shaky performances here and there, but he was once Mikel Arteta’s concrete first-team choice at Arsenal, where he proved himself as a top performer at an intimidating level.
Why Ramsdale would be even better than Kelleher
Of course, Kelleher has never been able to prove himself as a number-one option at Anfield, having always played in the shadows to the likes of Allisson.
But, regardless of whether he’s been given a fair crack under Arne Slot and other Reds bosses or not, if Leeds can land a far more experienced keeper at the level in Ramsdale for a slightly cheaper £25m, it feels like a pick-up they should prioritise over the promise of the 26-year-old coming good as a main starting presence.
At one point during his topsy-turvy Gunners career, Ramsdale was on cloud nine with his imperious displays in between the sticks, with this unbelievable save coming during the 2021/22 campaign that saw the ex-Sheffield United stopper collect an impressive 12 clean sheets from 34 league outings.
Heralded as “phenomenal” by ex-Arsenal legend David Seaman off the back of his glimpses of quality at the Emirates, it will just be up to Ramsdale to try and reach these lofty heights once more, donning a Leeds strip.
After all, he is well accustomed to the trials and tribulations of a relegation battle, having just accumulated a high 4.2 saves per Premier League tie for basement side Southampton.
Games played
183
Matches won
70
Losses
89
Saves made
595
Penalties saved
3x
Errors leading to goals
6x
Goals conceded
278
Clean sheets
41
The table above definitely reinforces how experienced Ramsdale is in the Premier League, despite only being a year older than Kelleher, with a near 200 games now played in the elite division. To add context, as a back-up face at Liverpool, his Cork-born counterpart has barely hit 30 clashes at 25 overall.
Therefore, whilst he will have an error in his back locker like Meslier, Leeds fans would surely feel more confident that the 27-year-old would come good over the gamble of Kelleher at £30m.
It will be fascinating to see who the Whites do eventually pick up in his vital position, knowing they cannot rely on Meslier if they are to beat the drop.
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