Rotherham United running rule over ex-Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town man Tom Lees
Rotherham United are assessing a former Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town and Leeds United defender
Rotherham United are running the rule over former Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town and Leeds United defender Tom Lees.
A veteran of the EFL with nearly 700 career appearances under his belt, the 35-year-old is a free agent having left Peterborough United at the end of last season.
The centre-back has not featured as a trialist in any of Rotherham’s recent friendlies but has done some pre-season sessions with the Millers.
Lees is well-known to Rotherham head coach Alex Bruce, as the pair were teammates at Leeds.
Bruce told the Rotherham Advertiser: “He's one that we're looking at. Obviously, he's an experienced player. I've known Tom for a long time. He's been in a couple of times to do a couple of sessions. We've got to monitor him.
“His pedigree speaks for itself. We need to make sure it's right for Tom and make sure he's right for us. We're going to see how that pans out over the next few days.”
Tom Lees’ career path
Lees was nurtured within the Leeds academy and spent time on loan at Accrington Stanley and Bury early in his career.
He later established himself at first-team level, going on to make 135 appearances for the Whites. Lees was sold to Sheffield Wednesday in 2014 and spent seven years with the Owls, racking up 274 appearances.
The seasoned centre-back was part of the Wednesday side that reached the Championship play-off final in 2016 and featured at Wembley in the defeat to Hull City.
Another Yorkshire switch was made in 2021, when Lees linked up with Huddersfield, and the Terriers became the the third club he passed the 100-appearance mark with.
He was released at the end of the 2024/25 season and spent the following campaign with Huddersfield’s League One rivals Peterborough.
Rotherham United trialists
Rotherham handed opportunities to five trialists at the weekend as they drew 1-1 with non-league outfit Matlock Town.
There were outings for goalkeeper Max Thompson, defenders Sonny Aljofree and Brandon Williams, midfielder Jez Davies and forward Kyle Vassell. Former Hull City defender James Furlong, however, was not involved and is no longer on trial at the New York Stadium.