Leeds United need a goalkeeper. Badly. Karl Darlow left for Manchester United on a free. Illan Meslier signed for Arsenal. Daniel Farke has lost faith in Lucas Perri. That’s three keepers gone or out of favor, and zero actually signed to replace them.
So when reports surfaced that Leeds were tracking Kjell Scherpen, the 26-year-old Dutch goalkeeper at Royal Union Saint-Gilloise, it made some sense. Scherpen is 6-foot-9. He won two Austrian Bundesliga titles on loan at Sturm Graz. He helped Union win the Belgian Cup last season and will play Champions League football this year. His FotMob rating across the Belgian Pro League campaign was 7.16, quietly solid for a keeper. He made 40 appearances in all competitions.
But here’s the problem. According to Voetbal International journalist Joost Blaauwhof, there is basically no chance Leeds signs him. Blaauwhof said Scherpen isn’t even aware Leeds is interested. He wants Ipswich Town. Personal terms are already in place. Ipswich just won promotion and see Scherpen as an ambitious but reasonably priced option at around €10 million (£8.5 million). Brighton holds a 40 percent sell-on clause from his exit.
A chase Leeds probably shouldn’t be in
This all started when Sky Sports journalist Ben Heckner reported Leeds was monitoring Scherpen. But the gap between monitoring and signing is massive, and right now it looks like a one-horse race. Ipswich. Scherpen reportedly has his heart set on it. That’s a problem for Leeds if they think they can convince him otherwise.
There is also the question of whether Scherpen is what Leeds actually needs right now. He’s talented. The physical tools are obvious. At 6-foot-9, he claims crosses and makes near-post shots non-events. But he spent four years at Brighton and made exactly one senior appearance. That’s a long time sitting. The Belgian Pro League is not the Premier League. For Ipswich, building cautiously after promotion, Scherpen fits. For a Leeds team chasing promotion with a manager who needs a commanding presence immediately? The fit is less clear.
Farke needs someone who wants to be at Elland Road and can handle a dressing room chasing promotion. Chasing a player who reportedly doesn’t even know Leeds exists as an option this window feels like burning time and resources. The £8.5 million could go toward a more attainable target with actual interest in the club.
Leeds should probably move on here. Identify someone who wants to be there. The window still has a lot of work left, and right now the goalkeeper situation is an emergency.
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