Kiko Casilla came over to England with a reputation as more than a decent keeper due to his time at Real Madrid. His actions last season have seen that reputation somewhat tattered and tarnished.
Casilla was effectively a free transfer, Leeds United buying out the remainder of his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu. He left Los Blancos to join the Whites and was only ever going to be installed as the Whites no.1 keeper. When you manage to get hold of a Real Madrid goalkeeper with Champions League experience, he is never destined to be a back-up player.
33-year-old Casilla has made 55 appearances in the Sky Bet Championship for Leeds United, conceding 53 times but keeping a staggering 21 clean sheets. However, recent fallout from his ban for racially abusing Jonathan Leko means that he has dropped down the order at Elland Road. This has led to Mirror reporter David Anderson tweeting this:
Leeds will also consider offers for Kiko Casilla. They are not actively trying to ship him out, but will let him go if he wants to leave because he will be No 2 behind Illan Meslier this season.#lufc
— David Anderson (@MirrorAnderson) August 31, 2020
In a way, Casilla moving on is likely the best option for all concerned. He is a class keeper and excellent shot-stopper but his actions with Leko showed anything but class. For one moment of madness, he deserves criticism but not the level of vilification that has come from certain quarters of the Leeds United fanbase.
His reputation, in today’s climate especially, is tainted and will remain so. Returning to Span, for example, will not rid him of the slur on his character but it will allow him to rebuild and repair away from the public eye in England. Yes, some will say he doesn’t deserve that opportunity to do so but some of these critics likely share a pint with acquaintances who have said similar…or worse.
