Live Roundups Editor's Desk Insights Executive Ops Weather About 🔍
Home › Sport › Out-of-contract XIs: players in their 20s versus players...
Sport

Out-of-contract XIs: players in their 20s versus players in their 30s – who wins?

The Guardian UK Tuesday 09 June 2026, 09:18 UTC By Michael Butler 1 min read
Key Points

There are young stars and golden oldies available on a free transfer this summer. But which team is stronger?Goalkeeper Illan Meslier, aged 26, contract expiring at Leeds UnitedThe goalkeeper joined Leeds as a teenager but departs the Yorkshire club having not made a first-team appearance since March 2025. Meslier was recently seen alone on the Elland Road pitch, seemingly contemplating his departure.

There are young stars and golden oldies available on a free transfer this summer. But which team is stronger?

Goalkeeper
Illan Meslier, aged 26, contract expiring at Leeds United
The goalkeeper joined Leeds as a teenager but departs the Yorkshire club having not made a first-team appearance since March 2025. Meslier was recently seen alone on the Elland Road pitch, seemingly contemplating his departure.

Continue reading...
Illan Meslier (PERSON) Leeds UnitedThe (ORG) Leeds (LOCATION) Yorkshire (LOCATION) Meslier (PERSON) Elland Road (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

Related Stories

NC State mulling legal claims vs LSU over Wade

RALEIGH, N.C. -- NC State is investigating potential legal claims against LSU tied to men's basketball coach Will Wade leaving for a second stint coaching the Tigers. That includes whether LSU violated a North Carolina state law. NC State vice chancellor and general counsel Allison B. Newhart wrote to LSU counterpart Carlton Jones last week about the matter, a development first reported by WRAL in Raleigh.

ESPN just now

Tillman's stylish photoshoot earns him ribbing fro...

IRVINE, Calif. -- Malik Tillman: fashion icon? The U.S. men's national team midfielder, who figures to play a key role in the FIFA World Cup run that begins Friday night against Paraguay, has been the subject of much discussion among his teammates for a series of unusual photographs that appeared alongside a profile of him in Flaunt, a fashion magazine. "It's been sent around the group chat a few times," Chris Richards said through a laugh on Wednesday.

ESPN just now

Hocutt on Sorsby situation: 'No perfect answer'

Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt issued a lengthy statement on Wednesday, continuing to support quarterback Brendan Sorsby's recovery from an admitted gambling addiction while also not ruling out the possibility of him playing this season. "This situation is hard, it is new, and there is no perfect answer," Hocutt wrote on X. On Monday, a judge in Lubbock County, Texas granted Sorsby a temporary injunction that might clear the transfer quarterback to play for the Big 12 favorites...

ESPN 26m ago

Rivals, soulmates and survivors, Chris and Martina together again in New York

Rivals, soulmates and survivors, Chris and Martina together again in New York NEW YORK, June 10 : For more than half a century, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have stood as twin pillars of modern sport — rivals, friends, foils and co-authors of one of tennis's most compelling stories. Their duels shaped an era, transcended the game and helped redefine what female athletes could be: fierce, vulnerable, political, glamorous and unapologetically themselves.

Channel News Asia 27m ago