Leeds United’s contract until 2023 with Kiko Casilla now looks like a mistake

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It seems that Leeds United could be about to let Kiko Casilla leave the club this summer. As reported by The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the Spaniard could be replaced at Elland Road. He has struggled to convince fans at Leeds of his suitability to Championship football since an exciting move from Real Madrid in January. Now it seems as though Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is also considering Casilla’s position at the club.

His arrival in January was exciting. A Spanish international goalkeeper with experience of playing for Real Madrid, it seemed Leeds had solved their goalkeeper problems.

However, one aspect of the deal did always stand out as slightly strange. Leeds handed him a massive contract.

Casilla joined on a four-and-a-half year deal, keeping him at the club until 2023.

If he was in his mid-20s, this would make perfect sense. However, Casilla is already 32-years-old and will turn 33 later this year.

Handing such a lengthy deal to a player already in their 30s seemed odd, even for a goalkeeper. Clearly, it was one of the ways director of football Victor Orta managed to convince Casilla to head to Leeds.

But now they may find it hard to find a suitable price-tag for the player. Releasing him from his contract would clearly be off the table, as it would cost Leeds a fortune to pay up the remainder of his contract.

If Casilla goes on to recover his best form then Leeds will love having him around for such a long-term. If not, he could be a constant financial strain on the club going forward.