Meslier has been one of the great success stories of Victor Orta’s recruitment at Leeds and is now the number 1 goalkeeper at Elland Road.
From being the number 2 to Kiko Casilla to keeping the Spaniard out of the team in Leeds’ first season in the Premier League, the Frenchman has come a long way since joining the Whites in 2019.
But he could have arrived in England a year earlier when Chelsea wanted to sign him from Lorient.
A deal was in place between the two clubs, but Meslier stressed that he did not want to rush into joining Chelsea towards the end of the window.
He was also unsure about what could happen to his development if he joined Chelsea and stayed at Lorient.
Meslier told The Athletic: “Chelsea agreed with Lorient and then asked me, ‘Are you ready?’
“But it was 24 hours before the end of the window.
“I said, ‘No, it’s too late, man! If you’d come one or two weeks earlier then I might have said yes. I can’t sign for you so late’.
“It was a difficult decision. Chelsea are a big club.
“You would ask me, ‘Why not (go)?’.
“But there are lots of ‘keepers in Chelsea’s academy, it’s very hard to grow up there and sometimes you sign and you have to go on loan, things like that.
“It’s better, I think, to work in your club and then sign to be a No 1 at 24, 25. Not at 18 years old.”
Meslier is still just 21 and kept eleven clean sheets in the Premier League last season.
