Paul Robinson Blackburn Rovers
Former England and Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has expressed his surprise over Illan Meslier’s continued presence at Elland Road. Despite once being hailed as one of the brightest young goalkeepers in English football, Meslier’s recent form has seen him fall out of favor at Leeds. The French stopper initially joined the club on loan from Lorient, later securing a permanent move, and has been at Elland Road for six years. However, his performances have waned, particularly during Leeds’ last Premier League season, leading to his replacement by veteran Karl Darlow under manager Daniel Farke.
Paul Robinson said: “Meslier’s confidence is shot. Meslier is a top young goalkeeper. I think people forget how young he actually is. Marcelo Bielsa gave Meslier an opportunity, and he’s played a lot of top-flight games. Once Allardyce came in during the last few weeks of the Premier League season to try and save Leeds, the first thing he did was drop Meslier because you could see that his confidence was shot. He was a young goalkeeper who — I liken it a little bit to myself — had never been scarred. When you’re a good-quality young goalkeeper, everyone’s talking about you and your career is always on an upward trajectory, and you never have any kind of bad press or make a mistake.”
Robinson continued: “I’m very surprised, in all honesty, that he’s still at the club because I think he needed a fresh start. I think the club have obviously moved on from him. But I think there is a top-quality goalkeeper there. He’s on the fringes of the French squad. There’s a top-quality goalkeeper there whose confidence has just been shot to pieces, needs a fresh start, needs a new challenge, and I’m sure will go on again and do what he did for Leeds under Bielsa.”
Robbie Evans said: “I know that he obviously lost his spot late last season because the team did a change, but he’s a good player, a young player, lots of experience. And frankly, he didn’t want to go into a situation he didn’t want to be in. And so it ended up being the case that for both parties, it was better that he be here.”
Despite being sidelined for the final four Premier League matches of the previous season, Meslier, now 25, still has the potential to regain his form. Leeds’ managing director, Robbie Evans, confirmed that there was interest in Meslier during the summer transfer window, but no suitable deal materialized for either the club or the player. Meslier’s current contract with Leeds is set to expire at the end of the season, making him eligible to negotiate with overseas clubs for a potential free transfer starting in January. As LeedsLive continues to provide comprehensive coverage of Leeds United, Meslier’s future remains a topic of interest for fans and analysts alike.
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