Cost £12.8m: Leeds could now lose “immense” star for nothing.
Even though Leeds United had a commanding 71.3% of the possession and outshot Burnley in terms of shots, they suffered their first loss of the Championship season last time out.
Luca Koleosho’s counterattack goal gave Scott Parker’s Clarets the advantage over Daniel Farke’s wasteful Whites. Mateo Joseph and Wilfried Gnonto wasted their own chances for the hosts, while Koleosho’s goal proved to be the game’s pivot.
The manner of the defeat will sting for Farke and Co, but it’s unlikely that wholesale changes will be needed moving forward, with players such as Junior Firpo in particular having a standout start to the campaign regardless of this narrow 1-0 loss.
Firpo’s resurgence at Leeds
The former Barcelona player, who was demoted with the squad in the 2022-2023 season, has shown signs of life in the Leeds first team. Having once felt that his position at Elland Road was precarious, he has since recovered well.
The Dominican Republic international, nevertheless, has become even more impressive since moving down to the Championship; his inventiveness from the left side is a huge asset.
Firpo recorded an amazing seven assists from 27 regular season games last season, helping himself to six clean sheets in addition to the talents of Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville, to mention a few.
Firpo’s ability to break free and create opportunities has benefitted the Whites in the early going of this new season as well. He charged forward to help Joel Piroe score a late goal against Hull City, which gave his team a comfortable 2-0 victory to end August before Burnley dampened the mood in West Yorkshire.
After the rejuvenated Leeds number three attempted to open the Clarets in a similar fashion but was foiled by a resilient Burnley defence, the 28-year-old plodded off the pitch with only one critical pass.
There will be concerns about Firpo’s future around Elland Road now, with his contract up next June, and he already has clubs circling for his services.
Firpo’s future at Leeds
If everything isn’t settled quickly, Firpo may leave West Yorkshire for £0, which will cause some serious problems. According to TEAMTalk, one of his previous employers, Real Betis, is eager to acquire his services for nothing.
The possibility exists that he may reach a pre-contract agreement with another team and then go on a free transfer in the summer, which would be a nightmare scenario for Farke and Co. His contract with Leeds is set to expire in January.
| Firpo’s transfer value at Leeds | |
|---|---|
| Year | Value |
| 2024 | £1.9m |
| 2023 | £2.7m |
| 2022 | £3m |
| 2021 | £12.8m |
| Sourced by Football Transfers | |
It would be a sad state of affairs for the Whites if Firpo were to just depart for free, despite the fact that his value has decreased every year that he has been at Leeds, with his valuation currently lying at a low £1.9m compared to his original £12.8m fee.
If he continues to put on impressive attacking displays, his worth may also rise over the coming months and might potentially result in a promotion to his side.
Conor McGilligan, a content producer from Leeds, has called him “immense” in the past. Given his remarkable exploits in the Championsnhip, it would be a disastrous finish to his time in West Yorkshire if another team did poach him for £0 and an enormous mistake.
However, before any of that occurs, Firpo will undoubtedly be eager to get started and support his team’s goal of winning promotion. Farke’s team will next face Cardiff City, who are at the bottom of the table, and this will be the ideal way for them to recover from the crushing loss to Burnley.
Read more news on https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply