"Could be a way back..." - Carlton Palmer offer/ Charlie Cresswell hope over Leeds United future | OneFootball

EFL pundit Carlton Palmer believes that Leeds United's failed deadline-day moves for defenders could see Charlie Cresswell get another opportunity in Daniel Farke's side.

The central defender at one time looked to be dead set to leave the club before the end of the January transfer window. Farke said that Cresswell wasn't part of his plans because he wasn't: "mentally ready," and that if a suitable offer came in for him they'd be willing to listen to it, as per The Athletic.

Just over two weeks later, and less than a week before the January transfer window closed, the German manager had changed his tune. He said that there was a possibility that the 21-year-old could come back into the mix, as per The Athletic, thanks to a change in attitude.

The club did try to bring in a central defender before the 11pm deadline on 1st February, with Harry Souttar among those attracting the club's interest, but no deal was made. With Cresswell now confirmed to stay, Palmer believes that there could be opportunities for him at Elland Road in the future.

Carlton Palmer says that Charlie Cresswell could find himself back in the Leeds lineup

The EFL pundit believes that the club's failed move for a centre-back in January could lead to Cresswell getting more and more minutes.

"Cresswell's name was linked with a move away from Elland Road," said the 58-year-old. "But Leeds were not interested in sending him out on loan again; they were looking for a permanent deal."

The Athletic reported that a lack of game time was what was making Cresswell want to leave, but no move was made after Leeds expressed that they wanted £5 million for him, and no club was willing to offer that amount.

He added: "The situation now is that Farke has spoken with the player, and he's been training with the squad, as he has done for the past few weeks. He's explained to Cresswell that, if he regains his focus and the right attitude, there would be a way back for him at Leeds.

"Cresswell was a regular starter for Millwall last season, and he performed well for them in their quest for the play-offs. So this could be good news for both the player and the club."

Cresswell should be a solid option for Farke when he needs him

As Palmer mentioned, Cresswell proved that he could be a more than competent Championship centre-back during his loan spell throughout the 2022/23 campaign with the Lions. Last season's good performances are not enough to say that he should have expected to be starting every week for a team that had just been relegated from the Premier League, and kept a lot of its defence, but frustration at only playing 128 minutes in over half a season of football is reasonable.

Even in the few games that he has played, he's been up to the task. A poor attitude can't be excused, but Farke should now look to use Cresswell where he can if those issues are behind him.

With the window shut, it does feel as though the next six months or so will determine his Whites future. If he can battle his way into consideration then he may have a future at Elland Road but if things remain the same, he'll surely move on in the summer.