Leeds United had to undergo a major overhaul of their squad last summer following their playoff final defeat at the end of last season. Crysencio Summerville, Archie Gray and Georginio Rutter joined Premier League clubs while the Whites were forced to radically change the make-up of their squad. However, there were a few other players in the Leeds squad who the club willfully sold as part of Daniel Farke’s plans to strengthen certain areas. But their decision to sell one of those players seems to be looking poorer with each passing day. The Whites sit at the summit of the Championship table but there is already a feeling that the club made a major blunder by allowing this player to move on in the previous summer transfer window.
The Whites are looking like on course to win promotion to the Premier League this season and the gambles they took in the market last summer seem to be paying off.
The Leeds United recruitment team did well to replace three massive players while ensuring that the squad have enough quality to push for promotion again after last season’s heartbreak.
Leeds are outperforming themselves at this stage of the season compared to last year and need just 24 more points from their remaining 15 games to touch last season’s 90-point mark.
However, Leeds did move on a few players who were struggling to get a chance under Farke last season and one of those is proving to be a real gem in a top European league.
Charlie Cresswell has established himself as a first-choice centre-back at Toulouse in Ligue 1 and Leeds’ decision to sanction his sale is looking a bit dodgy in hindsight.
The Leeds United academy star is proving his worth in France
Cresswell was considered one of the brightest young talents in the Leeds youth system and captained the academy sides at all levels of youth football.
The defender made his senior debut for Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa and was expected to develop into a first-choice centre-back at Leeds in due course of time.
However, the 22-year-old always struggled to impress Daniel Farke and even a fruitful loan spell at Millwall was not enough to convince the Leeds boss about his suitability in the first team.
Sporadic appearances under Farke meant that it seemed almost certain that the defender would be moving on from Leeds last summer and Toulouse jumped at the opportunity to sign him.
Cresswell has wasted little in establishing himself in the starting eleven at Toulouse and has been one of the most consistent defenders in a side that sit tenth in Ligue 1.
He also scored his first goal recently in a 2-2 draw away at Auxerre and is enjoying life in France where he is playing regularly while being an important cog in the team.
At Leeds, where he was an academy product, he never got a run of games in the team under Farke to show his worth but in France, he is proving the Whites got it wrong when they sold him.
Leeds wish they had Cresswell in the squad
Ethan Ampadu and Joe Rodon have been two pillars at the back for Leeds and Ethan Ampadu has been a solid option when either of the two are not available.
The decision to sell Cresswell also proved financially fruitful as the fee from his sale was shown as pure profits, which helped Leeds to remain on the right side of Financial Fair Play regulations.
However, Max Wober’s knee injury means Leeds are light at the back and other than Ampadu they do not have another option who can play centre-back if something happens to Struijk or Rodon.
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Cresswell would have been a top option and his ability to play right-back would have also provided cover for Jayden Bogle in the team if something happened to him.
He is also an academy product and Leeds fans enjoy watching players from within the system making a mark in the first team.
If Cresswell continues his current development trajectory, Leeds could come to regret selling him even more in the coming years.
