Charlie Cresswell must quit Leeds United in January after transfer news emerges
Charlie Cresswell may be forced to leave Leeds United in January, with the club now interested in signing Hammarby centre-back Nathaniel Adjei, according to Voetbalkrant.
The Dutch news outlet shared on 21 November that Leeds have joined a host of clubs to have registered their interest in the defender, who could be available for as little as £2.6million in January.
Cresswell, meanwhile, has struggled for game time at Elland Road, falling back in the pecking order behind Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon and Liam Cooper, and doesn’t even make the travelling squad if all three are fit.
Cresswell has been named in the squad just once since Leeds’ 2-1 win against Bristol City on 7 October, as he was an unused substitute against Plymouth, and prior to that, he had played just one minute of football under Daniel Farke since August.
A successful loan spell at Millwall last season, where he helped his side push close to play-off qualification, led to the centre-back signing a deal in August that would see his spell at Elland Road last until 2027, but he may be looking to leave again already.
Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth shared on 18 October that the 21-year-old would have a big decision to make in January, and recent developments at Elland Road will make that decision more apparent.
One respite for Cresswell this season has been his involvement with England’s Under-21 side, where he has been a regular fixture in defence, but his lack of game time at Leeds appears to have affected his international duties as well.
For the clashes against Serbia and Northern Ireland, Cresswell was left on the bench in favour of on-loan Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Liverpool centre-back Jarell Quansah.
It is becoming more and more clear that Cresswell’s best option would be to leave Elland Road in search of game time, be it on loan or permanently, in a bid to recover the promise he showed that earned him a new deal in August.
In other Leeds United news, Andrea Radrizzani has opened up on the bitterness of his exit.