Lewie Coyle's time at Leeds United and the 'perfect sense' permanent switch to Fleetwood Town

Following a brief loan spell at Harrogate Town in 2014, Hull-born Whites Academy product Coyle made his Leeds debut as a 20-year-old under Steve Evans as an 89th-minute substitute when replacing Sam Byram in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest the day after Boxing Day in December 2015.

A full Whites debut then followed in the 2-0 win at home to Rotherham United in the FA Cup the following month before a full league debut presented itself in the 1-1 draw at home to Fulham in February.

Coyle made 11 league outings that season but summer 2016 recruit Luke Ayling then went on to make the right back spot his own, initially under Garry Monk who also had Gaetano Berardi as a right back option.

After ten outings under Monk in his second season at Leeds but only four of those in the league, Coyle then signed a new three-year deal at United in July 2017 and was loaned out to Fleetwood at the same time.

But whilst always being highly regarded and well thought of at Leeds, Coyle's outing for the Whites as a starter in the 1-1 draw at Wigan in May 2017 under Monk was to prove his last for the Whites.

Coyle has remained on loan at Fleetwood through three different spells since the summer of 2017 with the defender winning the players’ player and young player of the year award in 2018 and having already amassed 122 appearances for The Cod Army.

Fleetwood fought off Championship competition to secure the 24-year-old's services and Coyle told Fleetwood Town's official website: "This was massive for me as I only had six months left on my contract at Leeds so I knew that this next move for me was going to be a permanent one, and it made perfect sense for me to move here to Fleetwood.

“I’m absolutely delighted, it’s nice to finally fully commit my future to this club. It’s a club that has given me massive opportunities in the past, I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been here on loan previously but it’s nice to put pen to paper and commit my future here on a permanent basis.

“It’s always been in the pipeline and it’s something I’ve been open to. All I could do is play my football and leave all those decisions to those who make them. The opportunity to sign here on a permanent basis and it’s something I’m more than happy to do.”

“I’ve been here for the last three seasons now and committed to another three and a half years to the club, so this is somewhere I class as home and where I play my football.

“My family and friends come up here each week in their numbers. The lads all hired a bus last week to come and watch me and they love it that I’ve signed here, so it’s now an excuse for them to get out and have more day-trips up here.

“My family are fully behind me, they come to watch me and there’s at least one member of the family at each game, so they’ll be delighted that I’ve committed my future here with the club.”