Leeds hit the jackpot with £5m Bielsa signing who’s now worth 4x more

Leeds United will really be worrying now that this isn’t their year to immediately return to the Premier League, with another disappointing result in the Championship last time out against Blackburn Rovers.

The 1-0 loss means Daniel Farke’s once-confident Whites are without a win in their last three second-tier matches, Sammie Szmodics’ late strike silencing a shell-shocked Elland Road.

It’s not as if Leeds have been leaking goals for fun however in this sticky patch of form, with Leeds’ number one goalkeeper Illan Meslier still boasting the most clean sheets in the division as a minor plus – amassing 19 from 40 appearances in-between the sticks.

Only costing £5m to bring him into the building in 2020 after an initial loan spell, the permanent signing of the French shot-stopper continues to look like a smart bit of business when you glance at his transfer value four years on.

Illan Meslier’s time at Leeds

Often a scapegoat when Leeds perform poorly, with the lofty 6 foot 6 keeper even labelled as a “liability” last season when Leeds suffered relegation by football journalist David Kent, Meslier deserves some praise based on his campaign to date and his past exploits in the Championship.

In the second tier alone over his five-year Whites stay, Meslier has accumulated 26 clean sheets from 50 appearances. There will be question marks about his ability in the top flight to answer for however if Leeds do seal promotion, with the 24-year-old only keeping 21 clean sheets from 107 games at that level.

Still, Leeds would much rather have Meslier in the net now than past figures such as Kiko Casilla with the Frenchman keeping a first-team spot in West Yorkshire ever since Marcelo Bielsa gambled on the young keeper during his celebrated tenure at Elland Road.

Meslier would keep seven clean sheets from ten appearances during the 2019/20 campaign that saw Bielsa guide the Whites to the Championship title, drafted in and performing exceptionally well under pressure.

If Leeds decide to cash in on their former Lorient keeper down the line having lost patience with his sometimes shaky performances, they would make a generous profit on the £5m they originally purchased him for.

Meslier’s transfer value in 2024

According to Football Transfers, Meslier is now worth in the region of €24.2m (£20.7m) for his stuttering promotion hopefuls.

That makes the ex-Lorient goalkeeper the most valued asset in the Leeds squad currently, worth around £5m more than Crysencio Summerville – even after the Dutchman’s standout campaign to date – who has a €17.9m (£15.3m) price-tag next to his head.

Ethan Ampadu, Wilfried Gnonto and Archie Gray all also fall behind Meslier’s increased value, with the 24-year-old more focused on picking up clean sheets between now and the close this season – away from his transfer worth – to play his part in Leeds winning promotion.

Meslier will hope if Leeds do win promotion that he can answer to his nay-sayers by establishing himself as a trusted top-flight goalkeeper, with a bumper move away from Elland Road always on the cards if he feels the time is right to leave as well.