Leeds United rejected a number of loan and permanent offers for midfielder Lewis Bate this summer, according to Football League World.
The 21-year-old has yet to start a game for The Whites this season, managing only a late cameo against Shrewsbury Town in the Carabao Cup. The youngster has instead appeared in four consecutive games for the Under-21s in the Premier League 2.
Bate spent last season out on loan with Oxford United, totalling 35 appearances in which he picked up four assists and one goal. He impressed massively for the League One side, playing a key role in the heart of the midfield, only missing any considerable amount of game time through injury at the back end of the season.
The ex-Chelsea academy graduate has picked up five appearances for Leeds since joining in 2021, two of those coming in the Premier League under Jesse Marsch and a further one under his enigmatic predecessor Marcelo Bielsa. In the 18 months following this short stint in the first team, the youngster has managed no further starts for the Yorkshire outfit.
The club’s relegation last summer, and the arrival of Daniel Farke, presented a new opportunity for the former England under-20 international to stake a claim in the Leeds first team once again and he featured in their pre-season campaign.
Despite this, the impressive performances of 17-year-old Archie Gray, as well as the arrivals of Glen Kamara, Ethan Ampadu and Illia Gruev in the midfield have meant game time has been hard to come by. Since the completion of the transfer window, Bate has yet to make a matchday squad for the first team.
The Football League World sources claimed that Leeds rejected a number of offers, both loan and loan with a permanent option, for the midfielder in the summer, with the player expecting he would get a “fair crack” at game time this season. With the expected minutes yet to come, a temporary deal this January is an option reportedly being discussed.
The source explained: “Hopefully he will be playing senior football somewhere.
“A few Premier League, Championship, and League One clubs have asked about the situation and interest remains in Europe. So, fingers crossed something will happen for him.
“Looking at [all of the Leeds] players who are not getting minutes or even into the squad, they will be hoping to get playing regular football somewhere.”
With Bate’s deal expiring at the end of this season it appears likely that Leeds will want to appease the youngster to avoid losing the player, who they departed with upwards of £1million for just two seasons ago.
Writer’s View
Bate is a player that has shown some real quality and promise both at Leeds and away on loan at Oxford, and therefore it would seem a strange decision for the Yorkshire outfit to allow the player to slip through their grasp. Saying that, he is well within his right to be disappointed at a step backwards to the PL2 at this stage of his career.
If the right loan deal can be found in January then it could be a great opportunity for both parties to be satisfied, perhaps League One outfit Lincoln City and Michael Skubala, Leeds’ ex -under 21 coach, maybe a good home for the youngster.
Sam writes for The Real EFL, covering all EFL tiers while pursuing a Sports Journalism degree at the University of South Wales.
