‘I dropped him straight away’ – Sam Allardyce reveals he never gave struggling Leeds star a game as it was ‘harming him’
SAM ALLARDYCE has revealed he dropped Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier “straight away” as persisting with him was “harmful”.
The veteran boss was given the job for the club’s final four Premier League games of the 2022/23 season in a desperate attempt to avoid relegation.
Big Sam failed to keep the club up, picking up just one point during his brief stint in charge.
But his first action after being appointed was to drop under-fire Meslier for back-up stopper Joel Robles for the end of season run-in.
The Frenchman had made several high-profile errors – just as he has done this season as Leeds push for promotion back to the Prem.
On axing him, Allardyce told the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast: “I dropped him? I never gave him a game. I dropped him straight away.
“I had watched the previous games and I spoke to quite a few people who had been at Leeds watching him quite a lot and the first thing they said is ‘he’s a great goalkeeper, but he is having a crisis at the moment’.
“We all know the two most important people are your goalscorer and goalkeeper, so he went out of the team straight away.
“He did not take it well, not that it really bothers me. A bit of sulking. When you go in as a manager because you have to make these decisions.
“But it had to be done, he looked nervous when he was the mainstay, it looked like it was harming him. It looked like it was going to make him worse, leaving him in even if he was going to be disappointed to be out.”
Meslier has made three errors directly leading to goals this season, which is the joint-second highest number in the Championship.
Leeds fans have also questioned him on several other goals they have conceded and he came under intense criticism for two he let in last Saturday in a 2-2 draw to Swansea.
The pressure has finally told and boss Daniel Farke has decided to drop him for this weekend’s trip to Luton.
He confirmed “I have taken my decision and spoken to the goalkeepers, Karl Darlow will play Saturday.
“It’s been important that we had clarity early in the week, so Karl could concentrate on this.”
Ex-Newcastle keeper Darlow has not played for Leeds in the league since December 2023.