Leeds United: Garry Monk favourite should never be forgotten at Elland Road - View | OneFootball

From 2010 to 2020, Leeds United spent 10 seasons in the Championship trying to reach the Premier League.

It was a very turbulent time for the club throughout those years, but while success wasn’t achieved, there were some campaigns that were better than others.

The 2016/17 season was quite productive for the Yorkshire side, as while they didn’t finish in the play-off places, they gave it a good go, finishing in seventh place under manager Garry Monk.

Leeds made some personal changes under Monk, with one addition being defender Kyle Bartley, who turned out to be an excellent capture.

Kyle Bartley started his football career in Bolton Wanderers’ youth academy before joining Arsenal in 2007 and spending five years on the club’s books.

The majority of the time he was at Arsenal, Bartley was shipped out on loan to various clubs. So, when he joined Swansea City in 2012, it was a chance for him to get settled and start playing football on a consistent basis.

The defender stayed with the Swans for six years, but it never really worked out for him, as he struggled for regular game time.

So, when Monk left the Welsh side and joined Leeds United as their new manager, he decided to bring Bartley with him to Yorkshire on a season-long loan.

It was a signing that, looking back, got the player’s career going and made him a firm favourite among the Leeds faithful. However, what Leeds have now gone on to achieve in recent years, with promotion to the Premier League and other things, has meant Bartley’s time at the club has been somewhat overshadowed.

Recent Leeds United success has overshadowed Kyle Bartley’s time at the club

As mentioned, Kyle Bartley just spent a single season at Elland Road, joining the club in the summer of 2016 and staying until the end of that campaign.

Leeds United announced the signing of the defender, as he joined as their second signing of the summer behind striker Marcus Antonsson.

It may have been a signing that had Leeds fans thinking, but it turned out to be an excellent move by the club and for the player.

Bartley played 45 times in that Championship season, averaging 90 minutes on the pitch, and was even named in the team of the week on four separate occasions, as per Sofascore.com.

During those 45 games, the centre-back scored six goals, averaging one every 675 minutes of football and finishing the season with a goal conversion rate of 16%.

Bartley could have added to those goals, as he also missed five big chances during that season. But he made up for it, as he grabbed two assists and created three big chances for his teammates.

It was his defensive duties that made him a standout performer, as he made 1.6 interceptions per game and was averaging 1.3 tackles a game. This, along with him making 7.6 clearances per game, helped him achieve 13 clean sheets while he was on the pitch. Bartley finished the 2016/17 season with an impressive overall Sofascore rating of 7.21.

It was an extraordinary season for Bartley, but for whatever reason, the club didn’t look to pursue a permanent move.

That was a surprise given that Leeds were in the Championship for another three seasons after that 2016/17 campaign, but probably the fact the club achieved Premier League promotion overshadowed what Bartley had done.

Leeds’ promotion meant the club was able to bring in high-profile players such as Diego Llorente and Robin Koch, and they turned out to be solid additions who would perform very well for the club.

Furthermore, the Yorkshire side had three successive campaigns in the top flight, so everything that happened in that four-year period meant it was forgotten about what was done previously and what certain players had done for the club.