Gaetano Berardi’s Leeds future has been a discussion point on a recent episode of the Talking Shutt Podcast.
The Whites recently announced that the Swiss defender suffered an ACL tear in his knee during last weekend’s Championship fixture at Derby County. Berardi was substituted after 33 minutes and replaced by Luke Ayling, with the details of the injury confirmed on Monday after he underwent a scan.
The club’s official communication revealed that the former Sampdoria defender could be facing up to nine months on the sidelines. The player’s current contract was initially due to expire at the end of June, however, due to the recent global pandemic which saw the season temporarily suspended, he agreed to a short-term extension with Marcelo Bielsa’s men which would allow him to complete the current campaign.
The Yorkshire-based giants marched to the Championship title and book their place in the Premier League next season after a 16-year absence. However, having signed a short-term deal and suffered this injury, where this leaves Berardi with regards to his future is unclear for now.
Host of the Talking Shutt podcast, Gary Devonport, told the panellists: “I personally think Leeds will look after him – what that will look like, I’m not sure. I think that with the people we’ve got at the helm now, they’ll look after him, and they will see him fit again – and I think they will do morally the right thing.”
Would you like to see Berardi given a new contract despite his injury?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
In our view, Berardi showed the club what a loyal servant he is when he agreed to sign on for the rest of the season, knowing that any injury he may suffer could hinder his chances of finding a new club this summer. In recent months, we’ve seen examples of players in a similar position refusing to play for their clubs from fear of being injured, such as Lyle Taylor and Ryan Fraser.
We believe that the club would be doing the right thing by keeping the 31-year-old on at least until he is fit again and it’s clear that the podcast host believes they will.