"A fitting end" - Leeds United offered Junior Firpo contract advice on Premier League condition | OneFootball

FLW'S Leeds United fan pundit discusses Junior Firpo's future at Elland Road

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Leeds United have been advised to draw the curtains on Junior Firpo's Elland Road career in the event of achieving promotion back to the Premier League come the end of the season.

Firpo, who moved to West Yorkshire for a fee reportedly between £10 and £15 million from Barcelona in July 2021, has entered the final stages of his four-year contract and is poised to leave as a free agent next summer.

The left-back has managed to successfully revive his career at the club after enduring two rocky seasons spent in consecutive Premier League relegation battles, the latter of which saw Leeds return to the Championship.

In the second-tier, however, Firpo has shown his class and was a crucial component in the side which came within 90 minutes of making an immediate return to the promised land under Daniel Farke last season, providing eight assists and a fresh sense of defensive solidity.

His form across 2023/24 has been carried into the current campaign, where Leeds will be hoping to gain promotion at the second time of asking following a strong start, but there is growing uncertainty around the Dominican Republic international's future with the club.

Leeds United, Junior Firpo contract verdict offered

Firpo's immediate Leeds future is a significant talking point among supporters at the minute, so with that in mind, we quizzed our resident Whites fan pundit Kris Smith on what stance he would take regarding a potential new contract.

"The fact that there have been no discussions or talks about a new contract for Firpo does suggest to me that the club and player are undecided, which is fair enough," Kris explained to Football League World.

"I think if there was a contract coming for Firpo we'd have already seen it, we've seen Mateo Joseph sign a contract earlier this year and Willy Gnonto signing one at the end of the summer window. It would've already happened if one was coming soon.

"2024, though, for Firpo, has been the first year where we've seen the very best of him in a Leeds shirt. He's stayed fit consistently for the first time since joining from Barcelona and with that has proven to be one of our most important players, attacking and defensively.

"Looking at his contract expiring, I don't really have any qualms either way looking ahead to the summer because he has been a core part of this squad and that would warrant him having a place next season, if he does stay, but he might also want to be looking to a new challenge, maybe heading back to Spain for the later years of his career.

"For me though, should we get promoted, I do think it would be poetic and quite a fitting end to Firpo's time at Elland Road. It would close out his Leeds career with the glory of getting us back to the Premier League, rather than going back up into the Premier League and struggling again as he did prior to relegation.

"I do think we'd need a signing at left-back in the summer regardless of what happens with promotion or Firpo staying or leaving. But I do think that focus does allow us to let Firpo go on to a different challenge and leave on a high after getting promoted."

Junior Firpo will have no shortage of suitors if he leaves Leeds United

Parting ways with Firpo on amicable terms following promotion is a hypothetical circumstance which many Leeds supporters would likely agree with. Although the 28-year-old has been quality personified in the Championship - as you would expect from somebody of such pedigree, in all fairness - he was remarkably shaky during his stay in the top-flight and never looked quite at ease.

That history will surely form a crucial part of the thinking of Leeds' key decision-makers heading into the coming months. What they decide to do with that, of course, remains to be seen.

Firpo, however, should not be sweating too much either way. You could imagine that he would be particularly encouraged to pen fresh terms if Leeds are to gain promotion and offer a fresh deal, although he can likely rest assured that he will find a new club quickly should both of those scenarios fail to materialise.

Firpo would represent a sensible acquisition for many continental top-flight clubs to take a punt on for free, particularly those back in Spain where he previously proved his quality for both Real Betis and Barcelona.

Players approaching the conclusions of their deals can often experience a strong sense of anxiety, with their futures very much up in the air amid uncertainty of whether they will find a new home, but someone of Firpo's quality and proven know-how is unlikely to face such trials and tribulations.