Sam Allardyce has disclosed that he immediately removed Illan Meslier from the Leeds United starting lineup upon his arrival. He felt that continuing to play the young goalkeeper was detrimental to his well-being and performance.
Allardyce was appointed as manager for the final four Premier League matches of the 2022/23 season, tasked with the difficult mission of preventing the club`s relegation.
Despite Allardyce`s efforts, Leeds United were unsuccessful in avoiding relegation. They accumulated only one point during his short tenure.
However, one of his first actions was to replace Meslier with резервный goalkeeper Joel Robles for the remaining games of the season.
Meslier had been responsible for several significant errors, a pattern that has continued this season as Leeds aims to return to the Premier League.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Allardyce explained his decision: “Dropped him? I didn`t even give him a game. I dropped him immediately.”
He continued, “After watching previous matches and speaking with individuals who regularly watch Leeds, the consensus was that while Meslier is a talented goalkeeper, he was experiencing a crisis of confidence.”
“Considering the crucial roles of a goalscorer and a goalkeeper, I decided to take him out of the team right away.”
“He was understandably unhappy, but that`s a common reaction. As a manager, you must make tough calls.”
“It was a necessary step. He appeared anxious when playing, and it seemed to be negatively affecting him. Continuing to play him risked worsening his situation, even if being benched was disappointing for him.”
Meslier has committed three errors leading directly to goals this season, ranking him joint-second highest in the Championship for this unwanted statistic.
Leeds supporters have also questioned his performance in several other goals conceded, particularly criticizing his role in two goals allowed in a recent 2-2 draw against Swansea.
The mounting pressure led current Leeds boss Daniel Farke to also drop Meslier for the weekend match against Luton.
Farke stated, “I have made my decision and informed the goalkeepers. Karl Darlow will be in goal on Saturday.”
“It was important to establish clarity early in the week to allow Karl to fully focus on the upcoming game.”
Darlow, formerly with Newcastle, has not played in a league game for Leeds since December 2023.
