Forget Gnonto, Leeds United must resolve this transfer situation ASAP in January: View
One of which concerns the future of Charlie Cresswell, who has struggled to make the impact he was perhaps hoping to with the Whites this season, having played only 340 minutes for Daniel Farke so far.
He spent last season out on loan with fellow Championship side Millwall, where he played 30 times at The Den, but had his campaign cut short after fracturing his eye socket late on in the campaign.
The 21-year-old may have been hoping to be afforded more opportunities with Leeds this season following their relegation to the Championship.
Leeds lost Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, and Max Wober over the summer, with Cresswell’s development and experience at this level before stood him in good stead to stake a claim
He is one of four centre-backs at the club with club captain Liam Cooper also battling it out with Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon as the only other senior options at Elland Road.
He was also handed the number five shirt for the current campaign, which was potentially a statement of intent in the eyes of many fans.
Cresswell also penned a new deal in August to keep him tied down in West Yorkshire until 2027, but the question remains to be asked in January about what the future in West Yorkshire holds for him
The season hasn’t transpired as he hoped it might so far, starting just one Championship game and two EFL Cup ties.
Cresswell’s last first-team action came in the 101st minute of the 1-0 win over QPR on October
He was an unused substitute against Bristol City, and since Cooper’s return to action and Struijk and Rodon’s imperious partnership, the 21-year-old has struggled to even make the bench in recent weeks.
That was until the win over Plymouth Argyle, with Struijk injured due to a hernia issue and Cresswell evidently fourth-choice, as Cooper and Rodon started during the win.
The current situation is not helping him develop or improve whatsoever, and the club are almost certainly in need of handing him a loan until the summer this January. It would be the best thing for all parties involved.
There has been Championship interest previously, and work needs to begin now on finding Cresswell another temporary home to help achieve some of that early potential he has shown in
It is becoming clearer that the drop-off in quality from Leeds’ starting pair to their reserve centre-backs is fairly stark.
Even so, Cresswell leaving would leave them light in the heart of their defence.
Cooper has a place in the squad and dressing room due to his leadership, but they lack quality ball-players in that area behind Rodon and Struijk. Stylistically, a more athletic, mobile, possession-based player should be signed to replace Cresswell.
There were reports during the summer that Pantelis Chatzidiakos was an option for them, and multiple reports claimed that the West Yorkshire outfit had a real interest in the Green defender and some even said that he had agreed terms to join the club after submitting a €2.5 million offer.
They instead opted for Rodon from Spurs, whilst Chatzidiakos departed AZ Alkmaar for Cagliari.
He is the right type of front-footed, speedy defender that they require from an undervalued market and they need to be pursuing again in January.
Either that, or to dip further into the Premier League loan market for up-and-coming defenders, who have quality on the ball and simply need nurturing with more game time at senior level
The 19-year-old has been the subject of major interest this year and this isn’t a major surprise considering he shone in the Premier League last term and was a shining light despite their relegation.
However, things haven’t worked out well for the winger since the Whites’ relegation, with the player pushing for a move away from Elland Road back in the summer but failing to make an exit.
He even made himself unavailable for games against Shrewsbury Town and Birmingham City after he and his representatives were told that he wasn’t for sale during the previous window, with the wide man seeing plenty of teammates leave but not being sanctioned an exit himself
The Italian has reportedly attracted the interest of Roma and Lazio and that isn’t a major surprise considering the youngster has featured for his country at a senior international level.
Everton are also believed to have retained their interest – and it remains to be seen whether they make a fresh January move for him as a potential long-term replacement for Jack Harrison – who is on loan from the Whites.
The Toffees will need a considerable amount of money to make this deal a reality, with Leeds in a strong negotiating position considering the player’s deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2026
It all depends on the player’s stance.
If the player is happy to stay put, the Whites should be looking to retain him because he can be a real asset at this level and will probably start getting himself on the scoresheet more regularly sooner rather than later.
He may be valuable now – but he could be even more valuable next summer if he can score regularly and get a few assists.
If he pushes for a move away though, he should be sold.
Leeds can’t afford to have any passengers during their promotion push and that’s why Gnonto will be if he’s more focused on securing an exit.
At the moment, he seems to be content
