West Brom midfielder Alex Mowatt has conceded that he might have made a mistake in leaving Leeds United as early as he did in his career which saw him miss the chance to work with Marcelo Bielsa.
Mowatt came through Leeds’ youth academy alongside now England regular Kalvin Phillips. However, the midfielder decided to leave Elland Road for Barnsley in January 2017 in search of more regular first-team football.
The midfielder went on to establish himself as a crucial member of Barnsley’s squad that won promotion from League One during the 2018/19 campaign.
While his game went to a new level in the Championship last term under Valerien Ismael with him scoring eight and providing seven assists in 46 appearances.
Following Ismael’s move to West Brom, the Baggies made the move to sign Mowatt in the summer. The midfielder has proven to be a quality addition to the squad having scored three goals in his first 11 Championship games for the club.
During the midfielder’s absence from Leeds, the Whites have transformed as a club thanks to the arrival of Bielsa.
He arrived in the summer of 2018 and has since guided the club back into the Premier League and improved a lot of the players he inherited.
Speaking to the Express and Star, Mowatt conceded that he regrets the fact that he did not get the chance to work with Bielsa who he feels is one of the best coaches in the world.
He said: “He’s one of the best managers in the world.
“To see the transformation on a lot of the players who are there, when I was there and they are playing in the Premier League, week in and week out and doing really well. You never know what could have happened. Maybe I left too early.”
The verdict
You can understand these comments from Mowatt.
It is easy to believe that the midfielder is someone that Bielsa could have got hold of and extracted a lot from given his natural ability and also his willingness to work hard without the ball.
Looking at the progression that has been made by the likes of Phillips over the last few years under Bielsa’s coaching, you can not help wonder what he could have done for Mowatt’s game during the same period of time.
However, Mowatt has not done too badly for himself irrespective of him missing out on the chance to work with Bielsa at Leeds.
The midfielder is forging a good career for himself and has made a promising start to his career at West Brom.
Mowatt could yet get his chance to play against Leeds in the Premier League with the Baggies currently sat inside the top two in the Championship after 11 games.
Therefore, the midfielder could play a major part in a promotion to the top-flight after all.