Here we go again.
A report from Football Insider suggests that Newcastle United are set to release goalkeeper Karl Darlow at the end of the season. Bielsa’s men were reportedly interested in him over the summer and even had a bid turned down by the northeast side. Whilst there are no further reports that suggest Leeds could go in for him again once he becomes a free agent, I think it’s worth assessing the option anyway.
I have said before when talking about Darlow that I think he is a good goalkeeper, but that he needs to be a club’s number one rather than a backup or rotation goalkeeper. So a lot of this is going to depend on what the club does with its current number one Kiko Casilla.
I have made my feelings known about Casilla very vociferously in the past, and until he sorts his act out I will maintain my view on the subject. Whilst we haven’t had any high profile blunders from him this year as he did against Derby County or Sheffield United, I still maintain there’s a little bit of ‘suspect’ about him, best personified by his goalkeeping for Stoke’s first goal in the Carabao Cup a couple of weeks ago.
If things stay as they are, and Casilla remains number one, then I would put this down as a bad move. If the club manages to find a buyer for Casilla as they were trying to do in the summer, then I would be all for the move. A lot would also depend on whether or not Illan Meslier is promoted from out of the U23s and is more prominent in the first team. Judging by his recent performance against Crystal Palace, he could certainly give Bielsa something to think about.
What do you think? Do you think that Karl Darlow would be a good addition to the squad? Or would you rather someone else take him on and we stick with Casilla in goal?