Charlie Cresswell isn’t getting much play at Elland Road, but the Saints could be willing to give him a chance to start again.
Southampton’s Championship undefeated record now stands at 12 games, despite their Saturday afternoon stalemate with Watford keeping them just a hair outside of the automatic promotion chase.
Though they were the only club in the second-tier top four not to win all three points during the weekend, the Saints have improved significantly since their difficulties for the most of September.
St Mary’s Stadium saw a lot of changes over the summer, with several well-known players leaving Russell Martin’s club and a number of new players joining. They may be busy in the January transfer window once again to bolster the first-team group that includes the former Scotland international defender.
And starting in 2024, Martin appears to have Jan Bednarek and Man City loanee Taylor Harwood on his sights as centre backs.-In recent weeks and months, Bellis have developed a solid combination; however, Jack Stephens is just making his way back after an extended injury layoff, and Mason Holgate has had difficulty breaking into the starting lineup.
Southampton keen on Leeds man Cresswell
Young Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell is reportedly being considered as a possible loan acquisition by Southampton, according to a claim made by The Sun’s Alan Nixon via Patreon. It appears as though Southampton may attack a Championship promotion competitor to strengthen their own hand.
For the 2023–24 season, the Saints already have two defenders on loan in Holgate and Harwood–Bellis. However, there’s a risk that the former’s loan might be terminated for lack of playing time.
And for that reason—Cresswell has had difficulty getting into the game at Elland Road this season under new manager Daniel Farke—they may be considering a move for him.
The 21-year-old was expected to be considered for a first-team berth with Leeds following a solid loan spell with Millwall last season, but new acquisition Joe Rodon has risen above him in the standings.
The England under-21 international has only made four appearances for the Whites in the Championship; his most recent appearance came as a late substitution against QPR back in October. Because he is fourth in the hierarchy for his position, he has not been included in most of the recent matchday squads.
Cresswell has also been linked with Middlesbrough, with Nixon reporting in The Sun last weekend that the youngster was on Boro’s January list after a season-ending achilles injury to Darragh Lenihan recently.
Leeds not intending to loan Cresswell out in January
However, Southampton’s attempts to bring Cresswell into their squad in January could be thwarted by Leeds’ own transfer stance.
The Athletic’s Phil Hay has reported that Leeds have no intentions of loaning out Cresswell in the mid-season market despite the fact that he is receiving no game-time, and in-turn his development is potentially stalling.
However, every player has his price and if Southampton come with a permanent offer for Cresswell, then it could be tempting for United should Farke not see the defender as part of his immediate plans.
It does look as though an attempted loan swoop by the Saints though will be met with a cold shoulder from the club directly above them in the standings though.
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