Leeds United confirm £3.8m academy sale as Daniel Farke sanctions exit ahead of squad rebuild — YEP 8/7/24

-

By Joe Donnohue

Leeds United have confirmed the sale of academy graduate defender Charlie Cresswell to French Ligue 1 side Toulouse FC.

The 21-year-old England youth international has swapped Elland Road for Stadium de Toulouse where he will continue his career in France’s top flight.

Leeds and Toulouse had previously arranged a £3.8 million transfer earlier in the window but personal terms could not be agreed between Cresswell and Les Violets. The impasse between club and player has now been resolved, though, with Cresswell departing Leeds after a season on the fringes at Elland Road.

Having clinched the Under-21 European Championships title with England last summer, Cresswell earned a fresh contract at Leeds and was handed the No. 5 shirt. However, the young defender soon had to settle for a place among Daniel Farke’s supporting cast with Pascal Struijk, Joe Rodon, Liam Cooper and, during the second half of the campaign, Ethan Ampadu preferred at centre-half.

Consequently, Cresswell spent the majority of the 2023/24 campaign on the substitutes’ bench, or out of the matchday squad altogether. The youngster is understood to have queried his lack of involvement with Farke midway through the season, with the German expressing to Cresswell he did not feel he was sufficiently committed to the collective cause and would not return to the squad until he had demonstrated otherwise.

United have re-signed Rodon already this summer, this time in a permanent transfer for a fee widely understood to be £10 million. Cresswell’s sale for nearing on £4 million, meanwhile, represents ‘pure profit’ in an accounting sense as the 21-year-old is a product of the club’s Thorp Arch academy.

Cresswell’s sale leaves just three senior central defenders contracted to the club following the expiry of Cooper’s contract at the end of June. Struijk and Rodon are expected to reprise their partnership at the heart of Farke’s defence for the upcoming season, while Ampadu is anticipated to return to the base of midfield.

Leeds are expected to announce the signing of back-up goalkeeper Alex Cairns from Salford City for a nominal fee, while the club are actively looking to make reinforcements to a number of key positions after offloading several fringe players during the early portion of this summer’s transfer window.

Popular posts from this blog

The huge initial fee Leeds are set to receive for Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham — Leeds United News 31/7/24

-
Will Butcher West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United, and Ben Jacobs has shared how much Leeds will receive for the Dutchman. The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with the Elland Road exit door all summer and was targeted as the one big sale Leeds needed to make before the Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline this month. But instead, Leeds sold Archie Gray for £40m to Tottenham. Leeds have since sold five more players in the form of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Kris Klaesson and Charlie Cresswell – raking in around £60m in total. But more exits were always likely and Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that West Ham had agreed personal terms with Summerville, and talks for a fee were ongoing with the Yorkshire side. Now, the story has moved on with multiple sources claiming a deal is done between Leeds and Angus Kinnear’s old club. The Dutchman is expected to sign a five-year at the London Stadium, until Jun...
Read more

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

-
By Joe Donnohue Leeds United have confirmed supporters' commemorative stones at Elland Road's Centenary Square will be replaced free of charge in a bid to improve their longevity. Beginning next month, Leeds supporters' personalised stones will be replaced with exact replicas, courtesy of a new company, to ensure of a 'much better quality' installation. The work is expected to take around two months to complete. An official club statement confirmed 'three larger stones dedicated to former managers Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and Marcelo Bielsa' will also be installed, 'similar to those located in Bremner Square', while additional space for supporters to purchase new stones has also been factored into the project. “The club have taken on board recent feedback from supporters on the stones at Centenary Square, and we are really happy that we can now announce that all of the stones will be replaced," chief executive Angus Kinnear confirmed,...
Read more

Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24

-
By Graham Smyth Leeds United are not actively looking to cash in on Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto and believe any further outgoing transfer business will be done on their terms. The Whites, who sold Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday for £40m, expect that there will be continued interest in wing pair Summerville and Gnonto as the summer transfer window progresses. Summerville has been a target for Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but their interest has not yet materialised into a bid. The Albion did, however, send a £30m proposal for Georginio Rutter, which Elland Road chiefs rejected. Rutter is not expected to try and force an exit this summer and appears settled at Leeds after a far more positive second season in English football. The sale of Gray has helped put Leeds into a position where they do not need to sell star players and can dictate any moves that do happen. Club sources say they are not actively looking to sell the likes of Summerville o...
Read more