Under the astute guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds United have most certainly enjoyed plenty of transfer success in recent years, where they operated on a shrewd budget to attain the right players to fit their system.
The Argentine maestro and doyen will forever be revered for his work at Elland Road, having been the one to lead the Whites back into the Premier League after a 16-year spell in the Championship. And it is undoubtedly the core of his recruitment that has amply blessed the subsequent managers with quality that has unfortunately not been well utilised.
Notably Illan Meslier stands out as one of Bielsa’s most impressive additions, as the Frenchman had been brought in for a small fee as a young unknown goalkeeper who had essentially enjoyed a trial run in the form of an initial loan spell. The legendary manager showed a high level of trust to hand the number one shirt to the 23-year-old youngster. That decision most decisively struck gold for Leeds.
Having rarely let himself, or the managers that have come since, down his value has risen exponentially and Javi Gracia obviously stands to be the beneficiary of this, should he continue his tenure as Leeds boss for the foreseeable future.
From just £5m in 2020, Meslier has gone on to feature 115 times for the Yorkshire outfit and this multous season has seen the rare talent achieve a 6.88 average rating whilst making an impressive 74 saves across his 25 games (via Sofascore) with a 7.13 average rating at the peak of his abilities showing just how reliable he could be.
Even opposition manager David Moyes looked to praise the youngster during that season, stating on Sky Sports on December 2020: “I think the outstanding player was the goalkeeper of Leeds. His saves were fantastic and he’s looking very impressive I’ve got to say.”
Football Transfers unsurprisingly have set his expected transfer value at £31.3m, which marks an astounding 526% increase in just three years; a figure which is only set to increase as interest in him grows.
Notably, the likes of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs – with both with a keen eye out for long-term replacements for their ageing shot-stoppers – have been noted as interested parties in recent times.
There’s no doubt Gracia will see retaining Meslier as imperative in any future success he hopes to have with Leeds to ensure their joint survival.