{"id":1066422,"date":"2026-07-03T18:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1066422\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T18:34:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:34:17","slug":"graham-smyth-offers-brutal-leeds-warning-amid-pascal-struijk-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1066422\/","title":{"rendered":"Graham Smyth offers brutal Leeds warning amid Pascal Struijk exit"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was no surprise to see Pascal Struijk<\/a> be the first player Leeds United<\/a> cashed in on this summer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With just one year left on his deal, the writing was on the wall that he\u2019d leave this summer if we could not come to terms with him on a new deal.<\/p>\n

Personally, I always expected Struijk to move abroad if he left Leeds. But this wasn\u2019t the case, as he joined Brighton in a deal worth \u00a320million<\/a>, with a sell-on clause included.<\/p>\n

Graham Smyth has also shared his thoughts on the deal, even offering Leeds a warning of what they\u2019ll be missing next season.<\/p>\n

Graham Smyth believes Pascal Struijk will be a big miss for Leeds United<\/p>\n

Struijk has always been someone who\u2019s split the opinion within the fanbase.<\/p>\n

To some, he was an absolutley incredilbe ball playing centre back. For others, he was a defender who was slow on the turn and prone to making a costly error.<\/p>\n

For me, I personally thought Struijk was more of a liability in his earlier years at Leeds. However, under Daniel Farke<\/a>, he progressed tremendously, and last season, I\u2019d argue that he was our best centre-back.<\/p>\n

Following Struijk\u2019s move to Brighton, Smyth shared his concerns regarding the deal on the Inside Elland Road podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy main concern with this deal is: how do you replace him? He is criminally underrated, and the people who massively underrated him might be in for a surprise, depending on how Leeds go about replacing him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they will miss him a little bit when he is gone,\u201d Smyth said. <\/p>\n

When we were relegated from the Premier League in 2023, our defence was comical. However, since then, Struijk and Joe Rodon have played a huge part in shoring us up at the back, so to lose one of them to a Premier League rival is a major disappointment.<\/p>\n

Leeds United will likely have to spend big on a Pascal Struijk replacement<\/p>\n

Ensuring we get an adequate replacement for Struijk is arguably the 49ers\u2019 most important task of the summer.<\/p>\n

Our hierarchy will know that it will likely cost a lot more than the \u00a320million we sold Struijk for to find a replacement on his level. On top of being a quality defender, they must also ideally be left-footed.<\/p>\n

This can be like trying to find a unicorn at times, it seems.<\/p>\n

Ladislav Krejci is the name we have been linked with most regularly. Wolves are reportedly wanting \u00a340million<\/a> for his services.<\/p>\n

However, whether it\u2019s Krejci or someone else, the 49ers need a marquee centre-back signing this summer.<\/p>\n

Struijk was one of our best players last season, so we cannot afford to replace him with a stopgap option.<\/p>\n

We need to accept that a new left-sided centre-half will be one of the more expensive signings we make this summer, and if we recruit well in that area, they will be worth every penny.<\/p>\n

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