Even though Leeds United is in the Championship, they will still need to make some contract decisions in the upcoming months. Hopefully, they have already resolved any significant issues from past deals this summer.
In the summer of 2023, Leeds made a lot of housekeeping as several uncommitted players left the team on loan and others had contracts that were about to expire.This summer saw the conclusion of a lot of similar outbound activity, but the bulk of notable exits were large sales of first team players. Daniel Farke hopes that this won’t be a recurring theme for the team as they attempt to organize new contract agreements.
The most prominent player whose contract expires in 2025 is Junior Firpo, a left-back who has finally established consistency in the Leeds lineup this season.
Despite being injured at the beginning of the season, he emerged at the beginning of the new year and played a crucial role in Daniel Farke’s setup, with eight assists during the promotion run-in.
Leeds must decide whether to cash in on Firpo now that his stock has stabilized after his £13 million transfer from Barcelona in 2021, or to agree to a new deal to take advantage of his improved play.
He reported for preseason in the beginning of July, but he was not included in the Dominican Republic’s Olympic team for this month’s competition, which runs into August.
Sam Byram signed a one-year contract to join Leeds on a free transfer from Norwich City last summer in an effort to recover from a recurrent hamstring injury.
While he did make 34 league games in 23/24, with two goals and one assist to his name, those injuries did transfer over to some extent to Elland Road last season.
Byram received a one-year extension, extending his contract until 2025, when the team announced its retained list for the upcoming campaign.
When Sonny Perkins scored in the last seconds of our FA Cup match against Cardiff City in January 2023, many believed we had a new star on the verge of breakthrough.
Beyond this, though, Perkins has been denied opportunities by Farke, who sent him to Oxford United for the first half of the season after cutting him out of his plans from the start.
The striker was recalled from the U’s during their Wembley run for promotion, but he was unable to return on loan to Leeds because of his August league action.
The two appear to be on quite different paths when compared to the excitement around Mateo Joseph; one appears to be Elland Road’s long-term number nine answer, while the other is most likely to depart in a year.
Nonetheless, a stint on loan at Leyton Orient, Perkins’ previous academy team, would provide his career a boost at this early point and give Leeds some ideas for a new contract.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Be the first to comment