Should Leeds United start again? The goalkeeping dilemma thrown up by Karl Darlow departure — Yorkshire Post 14/7/26

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By Stuart Rayner

Leeds United have confirmed Karl Darlow will not be returning next season, leaving them with a decision to make on whether to look for an entirely new goalkeeping department.

Once Darlow allowed his contract to expire at the end of last month, it became pretty clear he would not be returning to Elland Road, and that has now been confirmed. The 35-year-old has joined Manchester United.

Darlow emerged as the Whites' first-choice goalkeeper last season, but it was expected he would have another fight on his hands to hold that status in 2026-27, with a new No 1 high on their shopping list.

Leeds released third-choice Illan Meslier, who has joined Arsenal. Like Darlow, he can expect to watch a lot of football from the bench with occasional opportunities in cup competitions, but the Frenchman did not feature at all for Leeds last season, and was only on the bench five times.

Now they face a decision over Lucas Perri, who they paid £15.6m for last summer with the intention of him being their main goalkeeper.

The Brazilian had a pre-season disrupted by injury, and a thigh problem kept him out for four matches in September/October. Added to that were some costly errors which undermined confidence.

The 4-3 defeat at Newcastle United in early January was Perri's last Premier League appearance, although he became Leeds' cup goalkeeper and helped them to win two penalty shoot-outs en route to the club's first FA Cup semi-final since 1987.

Torino are said to be interested in taking Perri next season, but only on loan, with his Premier League wages a stumbling block to anything more permanent.

Leeds must therefore decide whether to look for yet another goalkeeper, or hope Perri improves in a second season in English football where his opportunities may be restricted.

Last season's fourth-choice goalkeeper Alex Cairns signed a new two-year contract this summer, but has only played around half an hour of senior football for the club, in the Championship, in six seasons across two spells.

When Darlow turned down interest from Middlesbrough and Hull City, where he had spent the second half of the previous season on loan, to join relegated Leeds in 2023, it looked as if Meslier would leave but instead he regained the first-choice status taken away from him by Sam Allardyce. However Darlow ousted the Frenchman in the second half of 2024-25, then fought off Perri in 2025-26.

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