Leeds United

View: 23-year-old that’s ”the future” of Leeds United needs a new contract

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Pascal Struijk is enjoying another encouraging run of performances in the Leeds United defence.

Leeds have been without Junior Firpo in the opening months of the Premier League season owing to injury, which has forced Jesse Marsch to turn to Struijk on the left of defence.

Although he’s out of position, the centre-back has impressed and ticked a lot of the right boxes as a left-back.

His talent isn’t in question and, for many Leeds fans, he’s the future of the club.

That brings us to his own future, with Struijk’s current deal at Elland Road running until the summer of 2024. He, along with a number of Leeds’ other players, need their contracts looking at before long.

Our writers Kris (FA5) and Alfie (N12) take a look at where the club’s priority should be, as Struijk’s name crops up.

The safe choice here would be Jack Harrison, given his 2024 expiry and clear interest from elsewhere in the Premier League, but Pascal Struijk’s contract needs just as much focus for me.

He has a deal that runs until 2024 too, and with his performances this season at left-back, he’s showing intelligence as a young defender that is hard to come by.

Out of our centre-backs, you could make a strong case for him being the best and most consistent already, and he’s only getting better with more game time, while others around him are quite inconsistent.

If Leeds cut their losses and let Diego Llorente go anytime soon, then they will need to keep Struijk close by as the best option long-term.

I could already see him commanding north of £30million, but without a new contract, you can forget that.

Is Struijk good enough to play for the Netherlands?

Yes

Yes

No

No

There are three contracts that I feel are a priority: Jack Harrison, Robin Koch and Struijk. However, there are a couple of reasons why Struijk’s should be the first one Leeds look to do.

First of all, top-class, left-footed centre-backs are a real premium in football and Leeds have one of the best talents on their books in Struijk. They don’t want him moving on because replacing him will not be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

At 23, he’s got years of developing ahead of him, as well as plenty of Premier League experience already; he could be a real monster by the time he reaches 27.

I’m not downplaying the importance of Harrison or Koch, who you’d hope will both be mainstays at Elland Road for years to come, yet there are other players in their positions that will push them: Crysencio Summerville on the wing and Charlie Cresswell at right centre-back.

Struijk, though, is the leading candidate to play on at left centre-back for the next decade.

He needs to be committed to with a five or six year deal. That sounds a lot but he’s rated that highly. He’s the future of this club’s defence.

Quiz: Are these 15 statements about Leeds United’s Pascal Struijk true or false?

1 of 20

Struijk was born in 1999?

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Leeds United Season Ticket Holder at Elland Road for over 20 seasons. Currently nestled in N12, but occasionally offering views from the press box. We’ve been through it all together? You bet.