‘A really frustrating year’ – How Charlie Cresswell’s return to Leeds has unfolded and what could be next for young defender who impressed at Millwall last season
Having enjoyed a fruitful loan campaign at The Den last season, 21-year-old Cresswell has since struggled for game time at Elland Road
Charlie Cresswell made a fast impression on Millwall supporters on his season-long loan. Picture: Millwall FC
IT was back in September when a smile broke out on the face of Gary Rowett.
The former Millwall manager was questioned about the return of Charlie Cresswell and Jamie Shackleton, both of whom had made an impression while on loan at The Den, ahead of Leeds United’s visit to The Den, a match that would finish in a 3-0 loss.
Rowett’s appreciation for the two could be seen in both his words and his emotions.
He stated to NewsAtDen, “They were] really smart guys.” Various kinds of boys. Shacks was a fairly amiable boy and a likeable player, albeit he was a little quieter and went about his duties. He was someone you could always rely on.
“Cressy is also the same. A little bit livelier at the gym and a little bit more talkative, but still a charming individual. They both performed incredibly well. Both of them are excellent individuals who blended in well with the group. They are also very humble and committed to the team’s goals. They are both welcome to return at any moment, excluding Sunday’s game.
Since coming back to Leeds, neither has had a particularly good season. Shackleton’s season had seemed well at first, as the adaptable player had appeared for Daniel Farke in a variety of positions and had started six of the first nine games. Despite his season being hindered by injuries, he has only played one minute of professional football since November.
Although Pascal Struijk, the starting defender, has been sidelined by injury for the entire year, the defender who played such a strong defensive back for the Lions last season has become accustomed to this pattern and has failed to establish himself as one of the league’s best.
Farke chose midfielder Ethan Ampadu to cover the defensive void in place of Cresswell, and the Welshman has done a fantastic job at it.
Sports reporter Beren Cross of Leeds Live, who has been closely monitoring the team and the situation, told NewsAtDen that thus far, things had not quite gone as planned for
He said: “It’s been a really frustrating year for Charlie. Everybody rates him, everybody knows he’s a really good centre-back and given what he did at Millwall last season, as a mainstay in a team that got to within a kick of the play-offs, there would have been no qualms at all about him starting regularly for Leeds.
“It’s just unfortunate for him that he’s the fourth-choice centre-back in the best defence in the league. So whether it was [Joe] Rodon and Struijk in the first half of the season or Rodon and Ampadu in the second half of the season, they’ve just been rock solid. And there’s been absolutely no reason, unfortunately for Charlie, for Daniel Farke to change it.
“Rodon is arguably the best centre-back in the league. He plays on the right side of the defence which is where Charlie would play. It’s just been really frustrating for him. We’ve seen so little of him that it’s impossible to draw any conclusions. He played a little bit in the start of the season and had a few games in August. But since then he hasn’t had a kick, whether for the under-21s or the first-team, so it’s very frustrating. We’ll have to see what happens in the summer.”
Since September, Cresswell has only appeared for seven minutes in the league and has only made seven appearances overall. There has been a significant shift from the previous campaign, when he made 28 appearances for Millwall and famously welcomed the Lions supporters with a brace against Stoke City on his debut.
The 21-year-old has found it difficult to get game time, and Farke discussed the circumstances in depth at a press conference in January when there were speculations linking Cresswell to a move away from Elland Road.
Charlie Cresswell, who scored five goals for the Lions in the previous season, shared the scoring prowess of legendary Millwall centre backs. Picture: Millwall FC
The Leeds manager praised the defender’s “potential” but expressed doubts about his dedication and stated that he wasn’t “mentally ready” to play.
Cross recalled the incident as follows: “Farke basically said, at a press conference held in the final week of the window, ‘it’s dealt with.'” Charlie and him had reached a consensus whereby Charlie was more eager to work hard and be a member of the team as the fourth-choice center-back.
“There was no suggestion that Cresswell had been very disruptive or a problem but Farke was quite open that in training and travelling to matches, it was clear to him that Charlie wasn’t as committed as some of the others in that squad. And even if you’re not playing, you still need to be seen as being in and around the squad and being a part of the team effort. And Farke was questioning that quite publicly and I’m sure that was hard for Cresswell to hear because Daniel didn’t hold back, really.
“In January, Farke made it pretty obvious that we’ve got a certain valuation for Charlie, we know how good he is, he’s a regular England Under-21 international. We know he can be one of the best centre-backs in this league. So if a club in the higher reaches of the Championship want to come and take him, they’re going to have to pay what he’s worth.
“There was a lot of interest in him, including Millwall. There were several Championship clubs interested and we know that bids came in but none of them met the valuation.”
Given Cresswell’s skill and promise, as well as his performances for Millwall and the England Under-21 team, there will probably be more conjecture about him in the summer.
Cross believes that it may depend on whether division Leeds plays in the next season as to whether the Lions or any other team wants to try to recruit him.
“I think almost certainly he’ll still be here if they don’t get promoted,” the man remarked. If they do receive a promotion, I believe that a very important decision will need to be made. Both Farke and the Leeds administration, in my opinion, would want to keep him. As a homegrown centre back, he obviously has a tonne of potential and could be a valuable addition to the squad even in the Premier League. However, he will want to play and he must play.
“The assumption is that Liam Cooper may move on in the summer. As it stands, he’s out of contract and there’s no talk of a contract offer on the table. So that would be one less person between Charlie and the first-team so a lot would depend on the transfer window.
“Clearly Leeds would need to strengthen if they got promoted so I would say the whole situation was uncertain.”
