The emergence of Kalvin Phillips and Ronaldo Vieira has certainly eased the pain of Cook’s absence.
This summer saw Leeds United lose Lewis Cook. The youngster departed for Premier League side Bournemouth in a deal reported by the Guardian to be potentially worth £10 million.
His exit was not welcomed by Leeds fans, who felt he was one of the best prospects to come out of their youth academy in years.
Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook in action with Valencia’s Alvaro Medran
But, six months on from his exit, it is hard to say Leeds did not do a fantastic piece of business.
Cook has struggled at Bournemouth. Firstly, the club went and signed Jack Wilshere in his position. Then he went on to pick up an injury. Cook suffered ankle ligament damage back in October and only recently returned to first-team action in the 3-0 loss to Millwall in the FA Cup.
He has played just four games for his new team and this season is starting to look like a washout for the 19-year-old.
Leeds’ Ronaldo Vieira celebrates scoring their third goal with Kalvin Phillips and Chris Wood
Meanwhile, at Leeds, things have been far more positive. Young midfielders Kalvin Phillips and Ronaldo Vieira have thrived as Leeds push for promotion to the Premier League under Garry Monk.
In the long-run, Leeds may regret letting Cook leave. But right now it seems they have done good business with this deal which was panned by fans and pundits in the summer.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
