Journalist urges Daniel Farke to allow Charlie Cresswell to leave Leeds United to save his career
William Jackson has urged Daniel Farke to allow Charlie Cresswell to depart Leeds United this January, suggesting he must be one of the most “frustrated” players at Elland Road.
The 21-year-old has only started one Championship game this season and has been limited to the bench in recent weeks given the excellent form of Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon and Liam Cooper at the heart of the Whites’ defence.
Many had expected the defender to be a regular following Leeds’ relegation to the Championship, especially after an impressive loan spell with Millwall last season. But now Leeds LIve journalist Jackson believes a temporary switch away from Elland Road could be best for his career.
Writing for Leeds Live (27 November) he said: “Cresswell must be one of the most frustrated players in the Leeds squad at present.
“He simply has not had a look in under Farke, making just four league appearances, and given he was a regular while on loan at Millwall last season, he would have hoped to see more action this time around.
“The England U21 international still has a bright future at Elland Road, but right now, it’s hard to see a way in which he force his way into the side.
“The defender won’t be short of suitors and while Leeds would be unwilling to lose their fourth-choice centre-back this season, they must acknowledge what is best for Cresswell at this stage of his career.”
Best for everyone
Leeds United and Farke won’t want to leave themselves short of defensive options for the second half of the season, but it feels that Jackson is correct in his assessment that it would be best for everybody involved if Cresswell was allowed to head out on loan in January.
It has become clear that Struijk and Rodon are the German’s preferred partnership at the heart of defence, with Cooper viewed as the first replacement and the 21-year-old at best the fourth choice option if two or more players are injured.
Cooper’s injury record will mean that Farke will want to ensure that he has a reliable fourth option in his squad in case of emergency, but it will not help Cresswell’s development to just be waiting in the wings in the unlikely event that he’s called upon.
He would have learned a lot more from his loan spell with Millwall last season than he has in the opening months of the current campaign and there will be plenty of Championship sides willing to offer him that experience for the second half of the season.
Then Leeds will be able to reassess the situation over the summer transfer window to decide where Cresswell’s future lies.
In other Leeds United news, Ilia Gruev may be forced to consider his Elland Road future already after his latest snub in the Championship