Three Players Who Leeds United Must Sell In The Summer
Once again, Leeds United will look back on this season as an opportunity missed. They were in the promotion race early on in the season but after a sticky run of form, manager Thomas Christiansen found himself out the door to be replaced by Barnsley manager Paul Heckingbottom.
It was a ruthless move by Andrea Radrizzani and perhaps one that he will live to regret, as Heckingbottom has overseen a dreadful run of form. Heckingbottom has to clear the decks in the summer and replace the deadwood around Elland Road and these are the players that must be offloaded.
Vurnon Anita
The former Newcastle United full-back has yet to endear himself to the Leeds United faithful and has put in some truly average performances as Leeds slumped in the league.
Paul Heckingbottom has often preferred Gaetano Berardi on one wing and Stuart Dallas on the other, leaving no room for the 29-year-old Netherlands international. Although he signed a three-year contract at just the beginning of this season, I feel that it’s time for Anita to look for a way out of Elland Road.
Eunan O’Kane
Irish international O’Kane has had a mixed season for Leeds, with 27 starts and 4 substitute appearances. Perhaps more worrying thing is the lack of impact the defensive midfielder has had on games, as the results started to drop off for the Yorkshire side.
The former Bournemouth player would have wanted to impress his new manager Paul Heckingbottom in the second half of the season but he has mostly failed to do so. His lack of concentration has cost his team at vital points in games, and although he can put in a crunching tackle or two to break up opposition attacks, he does not seem to have the full trust of his manager.
Pawel Cibicki
The talented young attacking midfielder from Malmo FF has had a dreadful start to life in Yorkshire and although he looked like an exciting young player when he arrived in August 2017, he has made absolutely no impact on the Championship at all.
Paul Heckingbottom spent most of January and February trying to send Cibicki back to Sweden but he is still festering in the reserves. If the Swedish U21 international wants to progress in his career he will have to move away from Elland Road.