OPINION
Ask Leeds fans who they want to keep hold of this summer and – behind Marcelo Bielsa – the three big players will likely be Kemar Roofe, Pontus Jansson and Kalvin Phillips.
There are rumours of Jansson leaving every summer but so far the talismanic defender has stayed loyal to Leeds.
Jansson is on the longest contract of the three of them, with Roofe the vulnerable one with his current deal expiring next summer. Phillips has until 2021 and Jansson until 2022.
However, there’s a worrying report from Football Insider that could make Jansson the most likely to leave of all three players this summer.
It claims that the future of Jansson is up in the air after a falling out between the player and Marcelo Bielsa.
They report that a Leeds source told them, “Jansson doesn’t get on with Marcelo Bielsa, I know that for a fact, and that’s been the case for some time after they had a falling-out.
“I know he said Jansson has been the best player this season, but the two of them have not had a good relationship at all.”
We’ve not seen much evidence of that this season, although Jansson was the only player who seemingly had a problem with Bielsa’s orders in the Championship game against Aston Villa. The team was told to let Villa walk through them and score but Jansson visibly railed against this and made a point of trying to tackle the Villa player.
Jansson was said to be injured for the two play-off semi-finals but was fit enough for the bench in the 4-2 loss against Derby at Elland Road. If he was fit it seems odd that he wasn’t starting after Bielsa said he was their best player in the Championship.
If the information is correct it could see Jansson leaving. A big draw for Leeds players at the moment is Bielsa and the way he can help players’ development. Phillips, in particular, had a standout season under the Argentine’s tutelage.
If Jansson doesn’t see eye-to-eye with him it could easily hasten his departure if a Premier League or other top-flight club ome in for him.
Jansson wears his heart on his sleeve and doesn’t back way from saying what he thinks. That could have caused the two to butt heads.
There’s no doubt he would be a big loss to the side but if it came down to a straight choice between the two from the fans, Bielsa would win every time.