EFL club snub Leeds United transfer opportunity | OneFootball

Harrogate Town will not be signing Jordan Stevens from Leeds United despite taking the young winger on trial for a period this month.

Leeds’ promotion to the Premier League has opened up the door for a number of their young players to head out on loan.

Stevens spent last year with Swindon Town and Bradford City, enduring a difficult season where consistent playing time evaded him.

An opportunity presented itself to Stevens at Harrogate earlier in the summer, with Simon Weaver casting an eye over the winger in friendlies with Newcastle United’s U23s, Rotherham United and Sunderland. The 21-year-old registered an assist against the former, but the League Two outfit will not be taking on the opportunity to sign him at this moment in time.

As per the Harrogate Advertiser, Weaver said: “We have decided not to take Jordan.

“He’s a good lad and a very talented footballer, but he’s not the right fit in terms of what we need at this moment in time.

“The left wing is still an area we need to strengthen but we’re looking for that Jack Diamond-type player, someone with real power who will drive at defenders down that side of the field.”

Harrogate finished a respectable 17th in League Two last year and are preparing for a second successive year in the fourth tier in 2021/22.

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Stevens, meanwhile, returns to Elland Road. He’s featured on six occasions under Marcelo Bielsa. Once in the FA Cup against Arsenal, alongside a further five occasions in the Championship.

The Verdict

Stevens is a talented winger and, at 21, he’s got a lot to offer a club in the EFL.

However, it’s maybe easy to understand why he isn’t the right fit for Harrogate. They are preparing for another tough League Two campaign and maybe don’t need the responsibility of nurturing the talent that Stevens has.

His immediate future doesn’t really lie with Leeds and the club will want to source him a move this summer. You’d imagine we will see something develop in the coming month.

Thoughts? Let us know!