Phil Hay believes that Leeds United are willing to offer Gaetano Berardi a new contract but admits that no formal offer has been made to the Italian defender.

Berardi has played more of a backseat role this campaign as Leeds look to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004. His side sit top of the Sky Bet Championship with just nine games to play and hold a seven-point lead over Fulham who occupy third place.

The Italian defender has only made 11 starts for Marcelo Bielsa’s side this campaign and has featured a further six times from the bench, when compared to his number of starts in both the 2016/2017 (24) and 2017/2018 (29) campaigns, it is clear to see that Bielsa sees him as more influential member of his squad off the pitch. He is one of the club’s longest serving players in the current squad having arrived from Italian side Sampdoria back in 2014 and plays a huge role behind the scenes and amongst the first team dressing room.

His current situation will surely have made Berardi question whether his time in West Yorkshire needs to come to an end if he is to play regular football in the near future. However, Hay believes it is almost a no-brainer for the club to offer the Italian a contract for the 2020/2021 campaign, he told The Athletic:“There’s no doubt that Marcelo Bielsa will want him to stay next season. It’s clear too that Leeds would be willing to give him a new deal if it suited all parties, though no formal approach has been made.

“The more I think about it, the more I think that it would make sense to keep Berardi for another 12 months. It’s fundamental to Bielsa to have players who understand his methods and tactics, and Berardi knows them inside out. As a squad player, he could be an asset.”

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The Italian signing any new contract at Elland Road seems to be hanging in the balance. Should Leeds win promotion this year to the Premier League, Hay thinks that there are so many reasons for him to extend his time in West Yorkshire, he continued: “As of last summer, there was talk of Berardi considering going back to Italy, but he has reasons to stay: Premier League football, potentially, and his partner actually works in the offices at Elland Road."

It appears that he and his family have settled in nicely during his time with Leeds United with that also being a factor that Berardi must consider when he sits down to discuss his future with his current employers.

There is expected to be no movement on a new contract before the end of the season according to Hay but Berardi could well put pen to paper on a new deal at Leeds United during the off-season.

The Verdict

Despite him playing second fiddle to both Liam Cooper and Ben White this season, Bielsa must want to keep Gaetano Berardi around should they get promoted to the Premier League this season. As Hay has said, Berardi understands Bielsa’s philosophy and tactics like the back of his hand and that will be crucial when it comes to bedding in new recruits from the summer transfer window.

Although he hasn’t had a huge impact on the pitch this season, the Italian has most certainly played his role off it as he is a key character in the dressing room. When a player isn’t getting enough minutes on the pitch they can sometimes sulk and appear as if they don’t want to be around the place, but Berardi appears to be the opposite. His infectious personality will be crucial in keeping Cooper and White at the top of their game for the remainder of the season as well as increasing the moral within the dressing room.