Shock lifeline coming for Leeds outcast after critical injury blow leaves Farke with no choice

Leeds United look set to include goalkeeping outcast Illan Meslier in their 25-man Premier League squad – and TEAMtalk has assessed his chances of starting at Fulham on Saturday, with Daniel Farke due to confirm an injury blow suffered by new No.1 Lucas Perri.

The French goalkeeper was widely expected to leave Elland Road this summer, having been dropped by Farke during the promotion run-in last season. And when Leeds smashed their club-record fee for a goalkeeper to sign Perri over the summer – paying French side, Lyon, €16m (£13.9m, $18.8m) – the writing looked well and truly on the wall for Meslier.

However, despite interest from a raft of clubs, ranging from Rangers, Leicester, his former side Lorient and most recently Trabzonspor, the Whites were unable to offload the keeper, who has just under 10 months remaining on his Leeds United contract.

Incredibly, he now looks set to land a surprise lifeline at Elland Road after two quirks of fate put the Frenchman back in with a shout of a stunning recall.

Firstly, the Whites’ failure to sign either Facundo Buonanotte or Harry Wilson in the final days of the window means they failed to sign a player who would become their 25th registered star for the Premier League campaign.

James Justin’s arrival means they currently have 24 players, and with a gap in the squad for Meslier to come, they will be granted a shock lifeline.

Secondly, an injury suffered this week in training by new No.1 Perri means a window of opportunity has once again opened up at Elland Road.

While the severity of the injury Perri has suffered is not yet known, the Brazilian is expected to be sidelined for a few weeks at least, with Farke due to confirm the blow and length of his absence during Thursday’s press conference to preview Saturday’s trip to Fulham.

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Should Meslier start at Fulham?25-man squad 

With Meslier returning to the fray, Farke must now choose between the Frenchman and the man who finished last season’s campaign as No.1 – Karl Darlow.

The Wales international has started one match so far this season – the defeat on penalties to Sheffield Wednesday – and he had a sticky moment in the match when he let a cross-cum-shot go through his legs and arms before spinning over the line.

Aside from that moment, Darlow has largely looked a relatively safe pair of hands for Leeds when playing under Farke.

And that faith from the manager is likely to be rewarded with the former Newcastle man expected to be handed the nod to start in goal at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

However, the injury to Perri means Meslier will likely travel with the squad and take his place on the bench.

Farke also has the experienced Alex Cairns in his squad and represents another option for Leeds.

At 32, he went into the season as Leeds’ third-choice keeper, though, knows his role and is only ever expected to be used in emergencies. Having been back at Leeds now for one year, he is yet to rack up a single minute of competitive action.

Given the current situation, Farke is more likely to pick Meslier on his bench, given his more extensive Premier League experience and with the manager preferring to have the Frenchman as his back-up option over the next few weeks.

Leeds United’s 25-man Premier League squad list

As a result, Leeds are expected to soon confirm Meslier’s presence among their 25-man Premier League squad, which TEAMtalk expects to look like this:

Goalkeepers: Lucas Perri, Karl Darlow, Alex Cairns, Illan Meslier

Defenders: Jayden Bogle, Gabriel Gudmunsson, James Justin, Sam Byram, Jaka Bijol, Joe Rodon, Pascal Struijk, Sebastiaan Bournauw

Midfielders: Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, Anton Stach, Sean Longstaff, Ao Tanaka

Attackers: Wilfried Gnonto, Daniel James, Noah Okafor, Jack Harrison, Brenden Aaronson, Lukas Nmecha, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Joel Piroe.

Leeds have the opportunity to change their squad again in January, with the winter window opening the door for a change to the registered personnel.

Leeds latest: Harry Wilson move back ON; sources sour on Mateta links

Elsewhere, Leeds United have learned that Fulham are ready to negotiate the sale of Wilson in January if one stipulation is met – and the update is sure to cause confusion and frustration at Elland Road after the Whites missed out on the deadline day signing of the Wales forward.

Reports over the week, meanwhile, ambitiously linked Leeds with an ambitious January approach for Jean-Philippe Mateta amid claims they were willing to break their transfer record for the Frenchman.

However, after doing some digging, sources have soured on Leeds’ chances of a bumper deal, with the striker instead roused by a move elsewhere.

And finally, details have emerged over why Leeds United missed out on bringing Solomon back to Elland Road this summer, with TEAMtalk analysing how and why Farke was squeezed out of the transfer picture for the Tottenham Hotspur star.

Meslier’s complete record at Leeds United