Midfielder Alfie McCalmont will most likely leave Leeds United on loan for the rest of the season when the January transfer window comes around.
Leeds All Over report that it is Scottish Premiership side St Mirren who are favourites to clinch a deal.
McCalmont is a figure who has flown mostly under the radar during his time in Yorkshire having made very few appearances for the Whites’ first-team, with his debut coming in a 3-0 League Cup victory over Salford in 2019.
He has trained regularly amongst Jesse Marsch’s first-team this season but is yet to factor into the American’s plans, instead spending the first half of the season playing for the Under-21s, scoring 1 goal and assisting 2 in six appearances.
When out on loan at Oldham and then Morecambe McCalmont became a regular presence in both sides, making 35 and then 26 appearances for each team respectively.
With the January transfer window rapidly approaching, it appears as if the 22-year-old is set for a third loan spell away from Elland Road in search of more consistent game time.
“St Mirren are the side most likely to seal a deal in the new year, with the Scottish Premiership side managed by McCalmont’s former manager elsewhere, Stephen Robinson,” the report stated.
“Robinson was in charge when McCalmont moved to Morecambe last season, with the midfielder’s best form coming in the first two-thirds of the season when the 47-year-old was at the helm.”
Delaying the inevitable
With the news of a third loan deal on the horizon for McCalmont, coupled with his inability to break into the first-team setup at Leeds, it is beginning to look almost inevitable that the midfielder will seek a permanent move elsewhere in the near future.
For the sake of both his professional career and personal development, the Northern Ireland international can’t afford to remain in West Yorkshire based on a slim chance he might finally see some first-team action.
Considering his impressive displays when out on loan previously, McCalmont may have hoped that this season his potential ability may have been recognised and allowed to flourish through some semblance of senior team involvement.
His stints in the Under-21s this season, however, will have surely dashed these ambitions.
The signings of Marc Roca and Tyler Adams in the defensive midfield position last summer, one which McCalmont also occupies, will have surely contributed to these feelings.
It would be very surprising if McCalmont is still a Leeds player after the next few years have gone by.
