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Oxford United chief confirms summer transfer interest in Leeds United midfielder Lewis Bate
Oxford United chief Ed Waldron confirms interest in signing Leeds United midfielder Lewis Bate in the summer after he featured on loan this season.
The newly-appointed Head of Recruitment, however, admitted that it’s unlikely as he’s worthy of playing in the Championship.
Oxford are currently in League One and instead of fighting for promotion, find themselves battling relegation in 20th place.
Speaking on BBC Radio Oxford’s Five Minute Fans Forum, Waldron said, “We’d all love to bring Lewis Bate back, but we have to be realistic with these things.
“I can see Lewis being in the Championship next year so we don’t want to waste the summer chasing him and then not getting him.”
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Most clubs in the lower divisions would want a player of Bate’s calibre as he’s undoubtedly a talented player who’s much better than the other under-21 players in the country.
He’s already made his senior debut for the Whites and one of the most promising talents in the Chelsea academy so is certainly earmarked for a bright future.
Unfortunately, an injury ruled him out for the rest of the season but that certainly will not dissuade him as he will have aspirations of being a first-team regular for Leeds.
It remains to be seen what the Whites end up doing in the summer as he will be on the radar of a number of Championship clubs.
It seems like he’s outgrown the challenge of playing in League One and neither Leeds nor the midfielder will consider going back to the third division.
Hopefully, he works on his fitness and returns stronger than ever for next season as he will be looking to playing regularly again.
In other Leeds United news, a teenager now looks closer than ever after what he did at Thorp Arch during the international break with Javi Gracia taking note.
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