With up to 10 players at Leeds currently out of contract next year, we decided to take a look at them, their respective situation at the minute and whether they can realistically be expected to stay on with the club…
Cody Drameh
The chances of Cody Drameh agreeing fresh terms at Elland Road are simply futile.
For one reason or another, the young right-back has often cut a peripheral figure and has failed to ever ignite the same performances for Leeds as he had done while on loan with Cardiff City and Luton Town.
Drameh was brought on and then brought back in the space of 21 minutes during last weekend’s 4-3 win at Ipswich Town and has recently headed out on his third loan spell, this time to Birmingham City.
Make no mistake about it, that will be his last one from Leeds.
Robin Koch
Similarly, German international Robin Koch is also currently away from Leeds on loan but will not be making a return either.
One of many high-profile players to seek pastures new in the wake of their relegation to the Championship, Koch is back on loan in his native Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt, and with his contract set to conclude next summer, he will be leaving Leeds permanently.
Helder Costa
Helder Costa is another player that will inevitably leave Leeds.
But, unlike the aforementioned duo, that should happen before his contract is officially up next summer, with the winger ruling himself out of contention to Daniel Farke alongside Wilfried Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra earlier in the summer.
That could not have backfired more for Costa, though, who has had to train alone without yet finding a club while Gnonto has been reinstated into the first team and Sinisterra has finally been granted his wish of staying in a top division by signing for Bournemouth.
However, according to Graham Smyth of the Yorkshire Evening Post, Costa is still expected to leave imminently and that may come in the form of a transfer to Saudi Arabia.
Costa, who spent last season on loan with Al Ittihad, could be lined up for a Saudi return before long, as their transfer window extends beyond the cut-off point in Europe.
A disaster signing that all parties will hope to erase from the memory as quickly as possible, but Leeds may have him on their books until 2024 if a deal cannot be struck quickly.
Ian Poveda
Meanwhile, Ian Poveda’s future with the club remains much more unclear as things stand.
The diminutive playmaker is yet to really meet the expectations that arose following his promising switch from Manchester City over three years ago.
He has failed to rip up any trees on loan with Blackburn Rovers and then Blackpool in the Championship, although he did make an impression in pre-season and has been on the fringes of Farke’s squad to date.
Potential is clearly there, however, the development has undeniably not gone to plan as of yet.
Very much up in the air, this one.
Stuart Dallas
It is equally uncertain whether Stuart Dallas will be offered fresh terms beyond next summer, too.
Of course, the Whites’ fan favourite succumbed to a horrific femoral fracture all the way back in April 2022 against Manchester City and is yet to return to action since.
Now aged 32, it is hard to say that everything stacks up in Dallas’ favour regarding renewal as things stand, and Leeds fans will be hoping that is subject to change with a full recovery.
Luke Ayling
Long-serving right-back Luke Ayling is also 32, but unlike Dallas, he has a clean bill of health and has been an ever-present for Leeds so far by starting every match available.
A Leeds player since 2016, it is hard to see that changing next summer and you would naturally expect fresh terms to be placed on the table at some stage.
Jamie Shackleton
Jamie Shackleton’s Leeds future had also appeared up for debate, but he has forced his way into Farke’s thinking and now stands every chance of earning a new deal next year after some impressive, energetic early-season displays.
There is still some way to go, of course, but if the utility man continues his current Elland Road resurrection then there is no real reason why a new contract will not be forthcoming.
Lewis Bate
Who knows whether Lewis Bate will put pen to paper at the minute.
The former Chelsea prospect spent last season on loan in the third tier with Oxford United and impressed by all accounts, but he was unable to seal another temporary stint over the summer and is currently waiting for opportunities to get on the pitch this term.
Unless he makes a sudden surge into the German’s plans, a departure for nothing next summer looks on the cards.
Liam Cooper
All things considered, Whites captain Liam Cooper should receive fresh terms, with his current contract set to expire next June.
At present, he is on the treatment table after falling down with an injury in Leeds’ opener against Cardiff, and though he is not getting any younger, his experience should still make him worth keeping around.
Expect shorter terms than the four-year deal he signed in 2019 to be offered at some point this season.
Sam Byram
The full-back made a return to West Yorkshire last month on an initial one-year deal.
The jury remains out at this stage, but Byram has previously proved an impressive operator at this level and could well receive an extension if he has the desired impact.
Leave a Reply