‘The last few days’: Max Aarons sends message to Leeds United boss Daniel Farke after sealing Bournemouth switch

Max Aarons has completed his move to Bournemouth from Norwich City.

But earlier this week, it looked like the player was headed for Leeds United, in a move that would’ve seen him reunite with his former Norwich boss Daniel Farke.

Instead, Aarons chose Bournemouth. It was claimed that the 23-year-old walked out of his medical at Elland Road in order to pursue a move to the south coast, though how much of that holds true remains to be seen.

And taking to Twitter after sealing his exit from Norwich City, where Aarons made more than 200 total appearances, the right-back penned a message to fans and to Farke as well.

An except of his statement read:

“I want to say the biggest thank you to Daniel Farke, the man who gave me my debut and believed in me. The last few days have been a whirlwind and I’m massively grateful for everything he has done for me and wish him the biggest success moving forward.”

Leeds United need to break the bank to sign Aston Villa striker this summer

Cameron Archer is surprisingly available for transfer this summer from Villa – Leeds need to pounce as they have the financial muscle to do a deal

HIGHLIGHTS

Leeds United’s new owners have enough financial resources to pursue new signings despite their relegation from the Premier League.
The team has already spent £7 million on Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu and had a potential agreement for Norwich City’s Max Aarons for £12 million, which fell through.
Leeds United needs to prioritize recruiting a new striker, as both Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter are currently sidelined and Joe Gelhardt was not chosen as the central striker in their recent match. The article suggests Aston Villa’s Cameron Archer as a potential target.

Even though they have been relegated from the Premier League, Leeds United and their new majority owners clearly aren’t short of cash in pursuit of fresh faces for Daniel Farke’s squad.

£7 million was spent on Chelsea’s Ethan Ampadu and a £12 million figure was thought to be agreed for Norwich City right-back Max Aarons, only for the 23-year-old to perform a u-turn and head to Bournemouth instead.

United haven’t got in as many new faces yet as they would have perhaps liked, but they could be waiting on more departures from their first-team.

Tyler Adams looks likely to depart in a £20 million move to Chelsea, whilst the future of Wilfried Gnonto is up in the air too – the pint-sized Italian could theoretically go for higher than what Adams will leave for – then there is interest in individuals like Crysencio Summerville too.

Should Leeds bring in more funds to make further moves, then one position they simply have to recruit for is at the top end of the pitch.

Both Patrick Bamford and Georginio Rutter are currently sidelined, and even though Joe Gelhardt was on the bench against Cardiff City, Farke opted to go with Gnonto as the central striker, even though he has rarely played there for Leeds in his 12 months at the club.

Bamford of course scored 17 Premier League goals in 2020-21, but the next two seasons have either been blighted by injuries or just a general lack of form in-front of goal, and his latest setback in terms of his fitness will not please Farke.

United need to be in the market for a new number nine, and they now should go out and splash the cash on Aston Villa front-man Cameron Archer.

What is Cameron Archer’s situation at Aston Villa?

It seemed unlikely that the young Villa striker would be available this summer following his exploits with Middlesbrough on loan last season, with the expectation that Unai Emery would give him a chance in the first-team squad with a more rigorous schedule with European football to factor in.

But a bombshell emerged on Wednesday night via The Athletic, who claimed that Villa were willing to sell the 21-year-old for the right price, much like they have done with Aaron Ramsey who is joining Burnley for £14 million with a buy-back clause factored in.

Unai Emery has confirmed that Villa will likely seek a similar arrangement for Archer, and there will be plenty of interest in the England under-21 international, with Premier League outfit Sheffield United a club said to be keen already.

Given the opportunity, Archer will more-than likely want to test himself in the Premier League after scoring 11 times for Boro in 22 appearances last season, but the clubs with parachute payments at the top end of the Championship have the money to be factored into the interested parties as well.

How much would Cameron Archer cost Leeds?

Leeds have showed that with their proposed deal for Aarons that didn’t go through and the upcoming sales of Adams and perhaps Gnonto that they do have the money to make big moves, and Archer would be a perfect fit at Elland Road.

Farke needs a hard-working striker for his system who can not only play on the shoulder of the centre-back but also who can drop deep and link play up – Archer has already displayed all of that in abundance during his time with Preston North End and Boro in the Championship.

Of course though, the fee would likely be in excess of £15 million going off what Ramsey is going to Burnley for, but Leeds can afford that if the 49ers Enterprises group want to push the boat out and land the 20-goal a season forward that all second tier clubs crave.

Whilst Archer may hold out for Premier League football, you don’t get if you don’t ask, and that is why Leeds need to be in for Archer today and make a sizeable offer to Villa to try and land him as he could lead the line for years to come.