There will be a few at Thorp Arch this week pinpointing the 2022/2023 season as a breakthrough season. A combination of working under a manager more inclined to blood youth, the relegation of the under-21s (previously under-23s) to the second-tier of the Premier League 2 and the reintroduction of the five substitutes rule put several of Leeds United’s young talents on the cusp of senior football.
None will be more ready than Lewis Bate who, after his initial £1.5million move from Chelsea last summer, has to make the step up to Premier League football over the next year. The 19-year-old started 21 times in the Premier League 2 last season and, despite his side’s relegation, was a standout performer.
But his performances earned just four senior appearances, his debut coming in the FA Cup defeat to West Ham before a second-half substitute appearance in the 3-2 win against the Hammers. Still a teenager, Bate was dealt an unimaginably tough hand when coming on at half-time against Arsenal, 2-0 down and with 10-men after Luke Ayling's horror challenge - talk about baptism of fire.
