Leeds United boss Daniel Farke is keen to extend Luke Ayling’s spell at Elland Road and is reportedly set to offer the Scotland international a new deal.
Ayling has been with the Peacocks since 2016, having joined Leeds from Bristol City for £200,000 and was part of the team’s success in getting promoted to the Premier League under former head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
The experienced fullback has been Leeds’ first-choice on the right side of the defence since moving to the club. However, this season, his number of starts have been diminished and Djed Spence was signed on loan during the summer to take his place in the starting lineup.
Shortly after moving on loan, Spence picked up a knee injury, keeping him out of the team since mid-September, but it was youngster Archie Gray who filled in at right-back during Leeds United’s bout against Bristol City prior to the international break despite Ayling being on the bench.
Nevertheless, according to TeamTalk, head coach Farke still wants Ayling to stick around and be part of the squad and is prepared to offer the veteran a new one-year deal, keeping him at the club until 2025.
The outlet is also reporting that Farke and Leeds are weighing up whether to offer captain Liam Cooper and Stuart Dallas twelve-month deals too as the duo are also out of contract at the end of the season.
Cooper is Leeds’ longest-serving player, having joined the Yorkshire club nine years ago, while Dallas came a year later but hasn’t featured for Leeds since the end of the 2021/22 season due to a nasty femoral fracture.
Writer’s View
Leeds have a very young squad so it would make sense for Farke to want to tie some of his more experienced heads down for the next twelve months, especially if the Peacocks return to the Premier League.
While Ayling, Cooper and Dallas may not be guaranteed starters anymore, their voices in the dressing room will be vital to keep things calm if the team are going through a stormy period of results.
Deputy Head of Writing
