Contract talks open between Leeds United and Pablo Hernandez

Leeds United and Pablo Hernandez have reportedly opened talks about keeping the Spaniard at Elland Road next season. Paul Heckingbottom has apparently decided that Hernandez should be part of the future at Leeds, and it finally appears that a contract is being worked on between Leeds Director of Football and the representatives of Hernandez.

Reports came out over the weekend that Birmingham City manager Garry Monk, who brought Hernandez to Leeds, was once again interested in his services. Monk and Hernandez were teammates at Swansea City together, and the relationship the two have was cited as the reason that Hernandez’s head might be turned by Birmingham, as the club is currently struggling in the Championship and might be relegated to League One.

Hernandez has seemed to want to stay at Elland Road, going so far as to state that he would like to stay at Leeds during a pre-match press conference earlier in the season. There were rumours about his wife wanting the family to move back to Spain, as she is pregnant with the couple’s second child. However, she dismissed the idea that she would force Hernandez to move back to Spain in a since-deleted tweet.

Hernandez has been one of the few bright spots this season for Leeds, as the attacking midfielder has played an important role in terms of leadership and taking set pieces, as well as creative play on the pitch and scoring some very timely goals for the club. He will turn 33 next month, but keeping around someone like Hernandez will go a long way towards improving the squad for next season.

Additionally, the signature of Hernandez will do wonders to improve the fans’ outlook towards Orta. The Director of Football has gotten a lot of criticism recently from fans, and resigning Hernandez will be seen as positive step by fans that seem to desperately searching for good news in this disappointing season.