Millwall may well be watching developments at Elland Road with interest this weekend as Charlie Cresswell’s immediate role at Leeds United becomes apparent. The defender spent the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign on loan with Championship outfit Millwall and he caught the eye with his form there.
Cresswell made 30 appearances for the south London club in all competitions, scoring five goals along the way, as he established himself as a favourite at The Den. His form helped the club to within touching distance of the play-offs, but Gary Rowett’s side just fell short of the top six in the end, with a defeat to Blackburn Rovers on the final day ruling out the possibility of playing Premier League football next term.
The Leeds loanee wasn’t involved in that one due to a facial injury and he has since returned to West Yorkshire and his parent club ahead of what promises to be a pivotal summer, with his future potentially hinging on this weekend’s game. Should Leeds beat Tottenham Hotspur and secure top flight survival, the club may be open to the idea of allowing him to leave, either on loan again or permanently.
Relegation on the final day of the Premier League season, though, and Cresswell could be handed the chance to try and help Leeds to promotion at the first time of asking. While Rowett stopped short of admitting Millwall would be keen on re-signing the 20-year-old, who he speaks so highly of, he is clearly aware of his situation and standing at United as the campaign reaches its climax.
“He is going to be a top centre-half and a top player – certainly in the second half of the season we saw that oozing out,” Rowett said in an interview with the South London Press. “He was absolutely fantastic before his injury. He was a really big loss to us.
“It’s not fair for me to comment on other club’s position on their players but I would imagine if Leeds are in the Championship next season then he would have that experience and a chance of staking a claim for them.
“If Leeds are in the Premier League then I suppose they would have a conversation of which way they want to go – Charlie may be part of that or he may not. He has developed well and shown what he is about. Another strong season next year and he is not far away from being a Premier League player.
“We knew he was a big talent. He found the challenges of the Championship straight away – in that it’s not always easy to play the game in a certain way. You have to be able to adjust and learn some of the little nuances of it.
“I think he’d be the first one to admit that in the opening months of the season he had some tough moments in games but he performed really consistently throughout.
“He probably made better decisions as the season went on and some of those big moments didn’t happen in the second half of it – therefore you can focus on his really, really strong performances.”
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