Former Leeds United defender makes major 'step up' claim after £3m summer move

Former Leeds United star Charlie Cresswell has delivered a positive verdict on life with Toulouse after he made a £3m switch to the Ligue 1 club earlier this summer.

The Whites’ failure to secure an immediate return to the Premier League meant several members of Daniel Farke’s squad were allowed to move on as the club dealt with the financial implications of their Championship play-off final defeat against Southampton. There were big money moves for the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter as they joined West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion for a combined total of around £56million. Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Mark Roca all made permanent moves to other clubs after spending last season on loan elsewhere and the must difficult exit came with academy graduate Archie Gray’s £35m switch to Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

However, Gray was not the only academy graduate to leave Elland Road on a permanent basis after Cresswell was the subject of a successful £3m bid from Toulouse. The 14-times capped England Under-21 international made 14 appearances for the Whites since making his debut in a Carabao Cup second round defeat against Hull City in September 2020. Cresswell also spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Millwall as he earned invaluable first-team experience with the Lions. Many thought that would allow the defender to play a major role in the Whites push for a quick return to the Premier League last season but Cresswell went on to make just seven senior appearances, with the last coming as a late substitute in a 3-0 home win against Rotherham United in February.

Cresswell was the subject of interest from a number of clubs during the summer and opted to join Toulouse after initially seeming turning his back on a possible move to the Ligue 1 club. A deal was eventually concluded in July and the defender has played the entire 90 minutes of both of his new side’s opening two fixtures after they battled to draws with Nantes and Nice over the last ten days. The former Whites youngster was asked about settling in to life with Toulouse during a post-match interview on Sunday evening and he described playing in Ligue 1 as ‘a step-up’ from life in the Championship and praised his new supporters for the atmosphere they created during his home debut for his new club.

Speaking after the draw with Nice, he told Get Football France News: “It’s a step up from the league that I had been playing in. I feel like I’m adapting and enjoying every minute. The difference in terms of atmosphere? The crowd are obviously allowed to drink alcohol here so it’s very loud. It’s great. I love playing in Toulouse, I love the people around the place, love the city, love the fans. I’m really finding my feet and hopefully, we can have a good season.” 

Cresswell will be back in action for Toulouse next Saturday night when they entertain Marseille at the Stadium de Toulouse.