Leeds United’s use of their academy players has very much been hit and miss in recent years.
The Whites had one of the most exciting U21s sides in the country a couple of years ago, but it has been disappointing to see just how many from that team have actually made it at Elland Road.
One of Victor Orta’s core transfer strategies while he was at the club was to hoover up some of the brightest talents from across the UK and in Europe, yet only really Crysencio Summerville looks set to make it at Leeds.
Charlie Cresswell and Joe Gelhardt are still at the club but have played just a handful of minutes this season, while others such as Cody Drameh, Sam Greenwood, Darko Gyabi and Lewis Bate are out on loan.
For both Drameh and Bate, though, their time at Leeds is almost certainly over at the end of the season with both out of contract. Neither look set to be offered new deals.
Bate was one of the most exciting young midfield players in the country when Leeds signed him from Chelsea, but despite a few promising cameos here and there, has barely had a chance.
At Chelsea, he was part of an age group where plenty have gone onto make it elsewhere, including Samuel Iling-Junior, who took the big decision earlier in his career to move abroad to Juventus.
With it clearly a decision which has paid off, Iling-Junior has done an interview with the Telegraph on his time at Chelsea. He spoke about several of the players he grew up with, including Bate, who he name checked as a ‘very, very good’ player.
Leeds have really failed with Bate development
He said: “Jamal Musiala, Tino Livramento, Levi Colwill. And in my age group was Harvey Vale, Charlie Webster, Jude Soonsup-Bell, Lewis Bate. He’s very, very good. A baller. I am always in touch with everyone.
“Miles Peart-Harris. Charlie Wiggett, Bashir Humphreys – he’s with me in the England set-up and is at Swansea on loan. I am just going through the whole team. Dion Rankine, he’s on loan from Chelsea now [at Exeter City] and Silko Thomas, he’s at Leicester.
“Xavi Simons – he’s at Hull City on loan. Ben Elliott, baller. At Reading. It was him and Jamal when we were coming up. Good memories. We won so many trophies. I am in touch with all of them, just checking how they are doing.”
Leeds’ use of Bate has been really disappointing. In all of his appearances for the club, it has been clear just how good technically he is, but the thing that he was lacking, was the physicality needed to play senior football.
He had a really productive time at Oxford United last season, which should’ve seen him rewarded with a new deal and another loan spell further up the football pyramid.
Instead, Leeds ended up keeping him in the U21s for another half a season, a level he is clearly too good for, before then loaning him down to League Two side MK Dons. Clearly Leeds have failed in progressing his career as they should’ve done.