Noel Whelan has urged Leeds United to go out and secure the signing of a better goalkeeper than both Kiko Casilla and Ilan Meslier in the summer, should the Whites go onto eventually seal promotion to the Premier League.

Casilla has endured a very eventful campaign so far at Elland Road, with the keeper having managed to deliver some strong performances during the first few months of the season, before he started to make a number of high-profile errors during a dip in form for the Whites a few months ago – and that put pressure on his place in the side even before his suspension.

In Casilla’s absence from the side, Meslier has been given the chance to come into the side for Leeds’ last two Championship matches keeping successive clean sheets in wins at Hull City and at home to Huddersfield Town, and the Whites are reportedly in talks to make his loan move permanent in the summer.

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Speaking to the Football Insider, though, Whelan has suggested that the Whites would be needing to sign a keeper of better quality than Meslier and Casilla in the summer if there were preparing to compete in their first season back in the Premier League.

He said: "He has done OK but I think we need to sign a better goalkeeper than Casilla. I think we need to go in and try and find somebody that is going to be more consistent.

"Casilla might end up being number two, not a bad number two to have quite frankly. Keep Meslier at the club as one for the future but once you have had a taste of first-team football you want it every single week. It is whether he would be happy to be third-choice.

"If we get promoted we need to improve the spine of the side, it is an absolute must. You need quality through that spine and if you have not got that you are going to struggle. It is worth the money, getting a great goalkeeper."

The verdict

It has certainly been an eventful season between the sticks for Leeds, with Casilla having shown moments of real quality with some of his performances, but also moments of real lapses in concentration which have cost them at crucial stages in matches.

You can therefore certainly see why Whelan is suggesting the Whites could be in need of a more reliable number one goalkeeper next season, especially if they are going to be competing in the Premier League next season, should they secure promotion when the EFL season eventually can resume.

That would mean that the potential permanent signing of Meslier from Lorient could make tricky for the Whites to sign another goalkeeper, and although the Keeper has performed well for Leeds in the last two matches and shown encouraging signs, he is very much still developing and it would be a big ask for him to be their first choice in the Premier League.

Therefore, Whelan could be right to suggest that the Whites could be needing to bring in a more reliable and experienced goalkeeper in the summer transfer window, which would allow them the potential security they would be needing between the sticks in the top-flight.