'Farke may be forced to change keeper again'

In the Championship last season, Leeds reached a club record number of points, but it is easy to forget that for much of the campaign the worrying weak link in the team was the goalkeeper.

Illan Meslier made baffling errors throughout 2024-25, but Daniel Farke had never changed his first-choice keeper mid-season in the Championship for either Leeds or Norwich.

But when the Frenchman's form forced Farke's hand, Karl Darlow came into the side and was an instant solution. He caught crosses with ease, his distribution was good and he saved the shots he was expected to.

In the summer, though, it was clear Leeds needed to find a new keeper, so when they splashed a reported £15.6m on 6ft 5in Brazilian Lucas Perri, it seemed they had their man.

But the season has ticked over halfway and Leeds fans might be forgiven for a little deja vu because Perri has the lowest save percentage in the Premier League (56.7%) and the second-lowest distribution rate (53.3%).

Farke hasn't been able to protect the goalkeeper from recent criticism and in the pre-Derby news conference said: "Lucas had situations he could have saved and decision-making wasn't great."

Leeds have put themselves in a fantastic position to avoid relegation, but if they had a more reliable pair of hands in goal they would be virtually safe already.

It is challenging for any new player to the Premier League to cope with the level, but Leeds fans waited for Meslier to improve for years to no avail.

Leeds' recent unbeaten run was fantastic, but a lot of draws could have been wins and, should their fortunes turn, Farke may be forced to change keeper again.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock, external