The story of deadline day for Leeds United was whether they could persuade Southampton to approve a loan move for Cameron Archer, which they ultimately failed to do.
The £15 million Southampton striker was strongly linked with a move to Leeds United during the January transfer window, and the club made a loan approach to sign Archer. However, Southampton turned it down because they wanted to keep him.
It saw Leeds fail to sign a single player, losing Joe Gelhardt to Hull City and Charlie Crew to Doncaster Rovers. Real Betis saw a £10m bid rejected for Mateo Joseph, with other Spanish clubs looking at Joseph.
With Southampton nailed-on to be relegated at the end of the season despite their 2-1 away win over Ipswich Town last time out, Archer may have been tempted by a move to Elland Road during January.
Graeme Bailey shares stance after failed move
Leeds wanted Archer having sent Gelhardt on loan to Hull, and Patrick Bamford then suffered a setback with his hamstring injury. But Archer remains at Southampton in their desperate fight against relegation.
Graeme Bailey has now told LeedsUnited.News how Archer feels about his failed move to Southampton in the winter window. He feels Archer will have wanted a move because Leeds are likely to get promoted.
“Cameron Archer wanted the move, there is no doubt about it; he wants to be in the Premier League next season and for the long term. No doubt he believes he would be better suited in Leeds than Southampton.”
Could Leeds rekindle Archer’s interest in the summer?
Ultimately, Leeds will have sought Archer because of his form in England’s second tier. England U21 talent Archer has 18 goals and seven assists in 40 Championship appearances.
They arrived via loan spells at Middlesbrough and Preston. But in the Premier League, he has only six goals in 60 appearances, roughly half of which he has started. Archer, then, remains unproven at the top echelon.
If Leeds do get promoted, they are unlikely to make another approach for the England U21 player. Instead of signing the inexperienced Archer, they will have a larger and better pool of players to choose from if promoted.
