Joe Rothwell has impressed while on loan at Leeds United from Bournemouth. Having missed out on promotion last season in the most agonising of circumstances, Leeds certainly look determined to go one better this time around and their strength in depth across the squad has certainly stood them in good stead this season.
Indeed, his forward bursts and eye for a pass have given Leeds a different dynamic in midfield and one so often missed last season, while his partnership with another summer signing β the hugely adored Ao Tanaka β has been at the heart of their march to the Championship summit.
Who knows what will happen next season. Rothwell was one of eight summer signings at Elland Road last summer and the strength of the Leeds United bench in recent matches has been the envy of the rest of the Championship. And while others all around them moved to strengthen their squads in the winter window, Leeds decided not to add to their options, partially in the belief that their squad is already strong enough to achieve their promotion objective and also with their potential targets not wanting to drop down to Championship level.
One man they did pursue, though, late in the window was Cameron Archer, with the Whites making a move to bring the former Sheffield United man back up north over the weekend. However, the plane was not one comissioned by Leeds and sources have informed us that the Whites always felt a move to bring Archer to Elland Road was a tough ask β with the Premier League side not changing their stance having initially informing Leeds he would not be allowed to leave when they first made contact last week.
Those chances officially bit the dust early on deadline day when the south-coast club instead green-lit the loan exit of Adam Armstrong, whose move to West Brom was confirmed on Tuesday afternoon. Leeds had been linked with the former Blackburn man themselves, but were only ever keen on Archer; a move which officially failed once a decision to let Armstrong leave had been granted. Meanwhile, Leeds United had no plans to recall Jack Harrison early from his loan spell at Everton after talk of his early return were debunked.
