Leeds United made a big decision on Kiko Casilla’s standing at the club a couple of days ago, effectively telling him that he would not be first-choice next season at Elland Road. This has led, today, to a decision from the goalkeeper himself according to Football Insider’s Wayne Veysey.
There was little doubt in anyone’s mind that once Casilla signed for Leeds that he would be the club’s no.1 keeper. He’d dropped to third-choice stopper at Los Blancos but that was after Thibault Courtois was brought in and deposed Keylor Navas as no.1 at the capital club. Coming from Real Madrid and willing to drop to English football’s second-tier pretty much guaranteed that.
The season before Courtois arrived from Chelsea, Casilla had been a Champions League regular and had seen a chunk of action in Spain’s La Liga competition. The guy was no chump and his capture was big news for Leeds United as he arrived on an effective free transfer with United buying out the remainder of his deal at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, the incident with him referring to Jonathan Leko using racially-charged terms has blotted his copybook somewhat. He received an eight-game ban for that incident, this only ending three games before the extended season ended.
Casilla played in the 3-1 victory against Derby County and Marcelo Bielsa is thought happy for him to remain at the club – even if many fans are not. However, he has been informed that he will not be the Whites first-choice for their first Premier League campaign in 16 years and this has led to Casilla making his own decisions writes Football Insider’s Veysey.
Referring to a ‘recruitment source’, Veysey writes “Casilla is likely to try and quit Leeds in favour of a return to his homeland.” With his reputation somewhat tarnished and tainted by the Leko incident and subsequent ban, it has long been said by many pundits and commentators that this was a likely course of action for Casilla to take.
Leeds United have been impressed by the quality and performances of youngster Illan Meslier when he deputised for Casilla during his ban. So much has this been so that the Whites have put their money where their mouth is and sealed a £5m deal for the former Lorient youngster who’d spent the season on loan at Elland Road.
