Leeds United returned to the Premier League last season in style, storming the Championship and finishing with a remarkable 100 points. Yet, some of the key players who helped secure that promotion are no longer at Elland Road. Many moved on over the summer, but not all of them have found smooth landings at their new clubs. In fact, several are enduring nightmare starts to life away from Leeds.
The Whites reshaped their squad during the transfer window to prepare for top-flight football. Manor Solomon departed after his loan spell ended. Despite being strongly linked with a permanent return to Elland Road, the winger sealed a late loan move to Villarreal on deadline day instead. Joe Rothwell, another influential yet underrated performer from last season, also exited when Rangers snapped him up permanently earlier in the window. Unfortunately for him, his early spell in Glasgow has been turbulent, with struggles compounded by a toxic atmosphere at the club.
Former Leeds defender Barry Douglas, who previously played alongside Rothwell at Blackburn, has explained why the midfielder is having such difficulty in Scotland. According to Douglas, the issue lies not with Rothwell’s ability, but with the position he is being asked to play. At Leeds, he thrived on exploiting spaces between the midfield and attack, using his pace and quick decision-making to devastating effect. At Rangers, however, he has been tasked with dropping deep to collect the ball from defenders and orchestrate attacks—a role that doesn’t come naturally to him.
“I played with Rothers [Joe Rothwell] at Blackburn—he was lightning quick with the ball and brilliant in the pockets,” Douglas said on the Open Goal, Keeping the Ball on the Ground podcast. “But now I see him at Rangers, dropping deep to start moves. They’re playing him out of position. He needs to be the one receiving the ball in those pockets, not trying to create from deep. He can do a job there, sure, but you won’t get the best out of him that way.”
Leeds, meanwhile, opted not to sign Rothwell permanently despite his importance in their promotion push. Instead, the club invested in midfield reinforcements by bringing in Sean Longstaff and Anton Stach, who better fit Daniel Farke’s tactical vision. Even so, Rothwell could have offered Leeds valuable squad depth this season, particularly as an impact player from the bench. His set-piece ability would also have complemented the club’s summer recruitment of tall, physical players, adding another weapon to their arsenal.
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