Following a shock defeat against Blackburn Rovers, reports are now emerging that one Leeds United star who struggled against the Lancashire club could be heading for an Elland Road exit.
Leeds transfer news
The Whites have experienced the Championship at its best in the last week – though they wouldn’t have exactly enjoyed the swing in momentum. Going from sitting top of the league to third after defeat against Blackburn, Leeds simply couldn’t find a way past the playoff contenders, who held onto their 22nd minute lead which came courtesy of Todd Cantwell from the spot.
In pursuit of promotion, the January transfer window will certainly be an interesting one to watch at Elland Road. Daniel Farke’s side has been impacted by injuries throughout the current campaign and although they’ve coped well enough to compete at the very top of England’s second tier, reinforcements such as young starlet Lennon Miller could help secure promotion to the Premier League.
If the Yorkshire club fail to achieve promotion for a second time, however, then they could face yet more departures following a number of exits last summer. According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Junior Firpo is now expected to leave Leeds if they fail to earn promotion to the Premier League this season.
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The left-back is on course to become a free agent at the end of the campaign, with a new contract perhaps dependent on promotion. Meanwhile, if the £60,000-a-week defender does want to stay put, then he didn’t do a good job of convincing Leeds chiefs that they should renew his contract against Blackburn, with BBC Sport’s Adam Pope admitting that Firpo “struggled on his return”.
When the January transfer window arrives, Firpo will be able to begin negotiations over a pre-contract agreement with other clubs outside of England, as he potentially plots a summer exit away from Leeds.
Leeds cannot afford to fail twice in the Championship
Just ask Leeds players of the past and they’ll tell you that getting out of the Championship is one of the most difficult tasks that English football has to offer. Farke’s side already experienced the ups and downs of such a competitive division last season, suffering playoff heartbreak against Southampton, and will be desperate to avoid the dramatics of Wembley this time around.
Failure saw the likes of Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, Glen Kamara and Georginio Rutter all depart last summer as those at Elland Road were left with no choice but to rebuild in key areas. Failure a second time may even result in even harsher consequences, however, which would likely include Firpo’s exit as a free agent.