Alex Mowatt is one of those starlet youngsters that Leeds United fans will always hold in high regard, the Doncaster-born youngster having graduated into the side at Elland Road through its famed Thorp Arch Academy system.
A local boy made good is always a story that fans will hang onto, and Alex Mowatt certainly rewarded Leeds fans with his wand of a left foot creating some magical moments whilst on the books at the West Yorkshire side.
However, it soon became clear this season that, despite his prowess and potential, that Mowatt didn’t quite fit the game plan that Garry Monk was wanting to move forward with at Elland Road. As such, Alex Mowatt was seeing the bench more than the pitch – in essence being relegated to the role of bit-part player.
The left-footed midfielder was too good a player for this to happen to, too good to sit on the bench, and in all fairness a move away from Elland Road was possibly the best outcome for both parties. That is what happened as Barnsley signed the Leeds United midfielder on January 27 with the winter transfer window coming to a close – the youngster signing a two-and-a-half-year deal at Oakwell.
In the above interview, Alex Mowatt speaks openly about the move from Leeds United and what he has found out since arriving at Barnsley.
Five things from Alex Mowatt
When asked about the way that the transfer from Leeds United came around.
“It all happened really quickly actually, I didn’t really know much of it and then my agent spoke to me and said that Barnsley was interested and then in the next couple of days I signed.”
When he was asked about whether he ever contemplated leaving Elland Road.
“No I never really thought that I’d be leaving Leeds in January. I thought maybe the end of the season or go out on loan for the rest of the season or something like that because I wasn’t playing but I didn’t think I would leave, but it’s happened now.”
Mowatt also spoke about the reasons behind his move from Elland Road to Oakwell.
“Yeah, I was on the bench and getting on every now and then. It’s not what I really wanted at my age and at this point in my career so I think it was time to move on.”
The former Elland Road favourite also speaks a little about why he was motivated to agree to a Barnsley move.
“I watched the game when Barnsley played Leeds here and Barnsley [are] a very good team and play good football and it’s a young, exciting team.”
When asked about his début, which resulted in a straight red card for a lunging tackle.
“Yeah, it started well I was enjoying the game and nearly scored and then, yeah, the rest was to forget.”
