Charlie Cresswell had endured a solid start to life at French side Toulouse following his exit from Leeds United in the summer, but that completely changed on Saturday evening.
The England U21 defender was sold by Leeds in the summer after a disappointing 2023-24 season. He returned to Leeds after a loan at Millwall and signed a new deal, expected to play a key role last term.
But he managed just seven outings under Daniel Farke with the duo having a disagreement halfway into the campaign. Little surprise he was sold this summer, but perhaps a surprise where he chose to go.
He moved to France and has started all three Ligue 1 matches for Toulouse so far, helping his new side pick up draws against Nice and Nantes. But against Marseille on Saturday, Cresswell really struggled.
Cresswell at fault for all three of Marseille’s goals, gets 2/10
Marseille’s first goal saw the controversial Mason Greenwood open the scoring, running off the back of Cresswell with the defender slow to react. Greenwood made it 2-0, after a horrendous Cresswell pass.
The centre-back gifted the ball to a Marseille attacker and it saw Greenwood net a second. Then, Ligue 1 side Toulouse went down to 10 men and scored a third, a cross deflecting off Cresswell for an own goal.
French outlet Maxi Foot gave Cresswell a 2/10 rating before he was subbed on 63 minutes and reported: “The 22-year-old Englishman had a terrible match, since he was involved in all three of Marseille’s goals.
“Caught in the back on Greenwood’s goal (16th), his poor clearance led to the former Getafe player’s second goal (18th). In the second half, he deflected Luis Henrique’s shot on Marseille’s third goal (52nd).”
Cresswell commented on move to Toulouse from Leeds last week
It was right that Cresswell moved on from Leeds. Especially, with Joe Rodon signing permanently from Tottenham and then Max Wober returning to Leeds. James Debayo has impressed during pre-season.
Speaking before the loss to Marseille, Cresswell said that he believes he has made a “step up” from Leeds to Toulouse. He might believe that more than ever after his performance on Saturday against Marseille.
“It’s a step up from the league that I had been playing in. I’m adapting and enjoying every minute. The difference in terms of atmosphere? The crowd are allowed to drink alcohol here, it’s very loud. It’s great.”
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