Illan Meslier bids emotional farewell as Leeds United exit confirmed | OneFootball

Illan Meslier has said in a post that Leeds United and the city will always be part of him as he departs this summer.

His departure was confirmed last week following the expiry of his contract, ending a seven-year stay. The Frenchman arrived from FC Lorient in 2019 and became a Championship title-winner and a Premier League regular under Marcelo Bielsa.

The 26-year-old was dropped by Sam Allardyce during the relegation run-in, then a series of errors saw Karl Darlow take his place last season. He did not play in 2025/26, sitting behind Darlow and Lucas Perri.

His farewell message thanked coaching and medical staff, as well as colleagues at the stadium and training ground. It spoke of a new challenge after seven years and stressed that Leeds, the city and the shirt will always stay with him.

Meslier made 215 appearances for Leeds, with 72 clean sheets across the Championship and Premier League. He replaced Kiko Casilla before promotion was clinched and featured in the 2019/20 and 2024/25 promotion seasons.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk