Phil Hay has admitted that he can’t see Leeds United loaning Lewis Bate out to a League One club.
Lewis Bate appeared to be an exciting signing when he arrived at Elland Road last season from a Champions League outfit for £1.5m, however, a year on from his move and the midfielder has racked up just four first-team appearances.
It appears that Bate has slipped even further down the pecking order under Jesse Marsch having not even been picked to go on the clubs’ pre-season tour of Australia, whereas 16-year-old Archie Gray did.
There has been talk of Bate heading out on loan to League One, something that surprised Hay when he was speaking on The Phil Hay Show.
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The journalist said: “He’s somebody who I think is going to look for minutes, it would surprise me slightly if he was going down to that level because I know that previously there have been clubs in the Championship and in the Premier League who liked the look of him. Although, again, to what extent he would play for them, I guess, is the question.
TIF Thoughts on Bate’s situation…
When Bate departed Chelsea for a fresh start at Leeds he will have likely been hoping to break into the first team relatively quickly, but even with an injury crisis at the club last season, Bate was heavily restricted by both Marcelo Bielsa and Marsch.
After a season of playing next to no meaningful football and now being left off the pre-season tour, it would only be right for Bate to take the plunge and head out on his first-ever loan spell, so a drop into the Championship could be the right move for him to get minutes under his belt and rebuild his confidence.