Leeds United Director of Football Victor Orta is eying a January deal to sign a new goalkeeper who can rival Kiko Casilla in Marcelo Bielsa’s plans, according to Football Insider.
Casilla has been a mainstay of the Whites first-team this season having started each of our 16 Championship fixtures thus far, in which the Spaniard has kept a division-high eight clean sheets.
The club are preparing for any eventuality from the FA’s charge of racial abusing Charlton Athletic’s Jonathan Leko, though, with rules introduced for the 2019/20 campaign bringing a minimum six match suspension for any aggravated breach of discrimination rules.
Casilla has strenuously denied the allegations, and has until November 27 to respond after being granted an extension to the initial November 12 deadline.
FC Lorient loanee Illan Meslier is expected to step in between the sticks in the event that Casilla is suspended, but Bielsa and his backroom team are now said to have doubts over the Frenchman being ready for an extended run of games.
The demands of the Championship and the boss’ intent on playing out from the back are not thought to perfectly match Meslier’s skillset just yet, leading to club chiefs actively searching the transfer market for someone who can come in during the winter and challenge Casilla for the first-choice role.
Casilla joined us last season on a free transfer the January sales after Bielsa lost faith in academy product Bailey Peacock-Farrell, with the Spaniard starting 19 of 20 second-tier games including the Play-Off Semi-Finals following his arrival.
Who starts in goal if Casilla is banned?
Illan Meslier
Will Huffer
Look to U23s
It is not currently suggested who the board has in mind to arrive in January, or whether any incomings would be on a permanent or temporary basis.
Meslier is yet to feature for Leeds’ first-team since joining on loan in the summer, and has been omitted from the matchday squad for six of our Championship fixtures to date.
The 19-year-old made 30 appearances for Lorient across all competitions last season, keeping 11 clean sheets and conceding 32 goals as the Moustoir Stadium natives finished the Ligue 2 season in sixth place.