This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Leeds could be about to receive some season-defining news as Kiko Casilla’s fate hangs in the balance as the FA continue to investigate his apparent racial abuse against Jonathan Leko.
Phil Hay has previously stated that he expects Casilla to be cited for this incident, and reports over the weekend have stated that the Spaniard could be banned for up to 12 games.
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Of course, this will have some serious repercussions for the team as they’ll have to replace the goalkeeper that has marshalled the best defence in the Championship up until this point.
The most likely replacement for Casilla is Illan Meslier. The French teenager arrived at Elland Road on loan this summer, but he’s only been on the periphery since.
The loanee is likely to get a chance if Casilla is banned, and that may affect another player in the squad.
Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…
With the EFL’s current rules stating that you can only have five loanees in a matchday squad, Leeds have had something of a dilemma in that department.
Indeed, due to the fact that the Whites have six loan players on their books, they’ve had to leave one man out of the squad every week.
This has usually rotated between Jack Clarke and Meslier with the former coming into the side when Pablo Hernandez was out. However, if the Frenchman is to replace Casilla between the sticks then it will likely mean that the winger drops out of the squad.
The only reason he probably didn’t last weekend was because of Eddie Nketiah’s absence.
With rumours circulating that Spurs are considering recalling the £5.4m-rated man in January, a lengthy spell without a sniff at first-team football will certainly encourage Tottenham to exercise their recall option on the 18-year-old.
