The Whites can nurse their wounds from within
HIGHLIGHTS
- Leeds United have been dealing with various challenges during their transition period, including player power and squad exoduses.
- The Max Aarons transfer saga has been a major blow for the club, as they were hoping to address their issues at right-back with his signing.
- Cody Drameh, who has been overlooked so far, could be a capable replacement for Aarons, as he has excelled on loan at Cardiff and Luton and has impressive defensive attributes.
Leeds United have found themselves engulfed in tumultuous transition this summer.
The detriments married with Premier League relegation are notoriously unforgiving; the financial climate from all avenues capsizes, squad exoduses await and within that, egos balloon.
Leeds have found the latter factor an extremely prevalent problem as of late, with both Wilfried Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra- two wingers who have only been at Elland Road for a year- ruling themselves out of contention for recent matches.
The duo have, rather unsurprisingly, since been exiled from the team altogether and, by Daniel Farke’s own admission, are now no longer present in the dressing room or training session, serving as just another case study of player power threatening to dispose morale construction in newly-relegated camps.
It has overshadowed everything else for Leeds as of late.
Recently, supporters have not been chiefly engaged in dialogue based on the three competitive fixtures that Leeds have fulfilled thus far, instead, their focus has hinged upon posing questions on the futures of Sinisterra and Gnonto, the latter of whom has proved extremely problematic in West Yorkshire.
Sure enough, it presents obverse preparation for promotion extraordinaire Farke, who took the reigns following an extensive managerial search during the off-season and will now be operating diligently to reconstruct a positive squad mentality that took far too many beatings last time out.
By and large, from Gnonto and Sinisterra’s lack of commitment to the cause to the whole host of player departures that have been sanctioned, and a subsequent turbulent initiation to proceedings back in the second-tier, Leeds have not embraced the rub of the green.
But, that said, few blows have stung with more agony than the Max Aarons transfer saga.
Leeds United’s transfer interest in Max Aarons
A modernised linchpin of Farke’s fortunes at Carrow Road, Aarons made 41 appearances under the German in his first promotion-winning campaign with the club, and 45 in the second, all of which were starts too.
Farke not only entrusted Aarons and afforded him a chance to make a breakthrough in senior football, but he also deployed him on no less than 141 occasions, where the right sided full-back- famed for his attacking influence on matches- directly contributed to 18 goals.
So, you can imagine how wounded he will be by the recent turn of events.
The 23-year-old was penciled in for a medical at Thorp Arch and, by all accounts, looked primed to trade Norwich for Leeds in a deal worth up to £12m- only to perform a dramatic u-turn right at the death to descend down south and sign for Bournemouth instead.
Over the years, the right-back berth has been a real issue for Leeds and it was hoped that Aarons, who has frequently been touted among the division’s best in his position, would have cured their woes.
Of course, that will not happen now, but Leeds can nonetheless remedy the anguish through promotion from their periphery and entrusting Cody Drameh with a window of opportunity- one which you feel has long been overdue.
Could Leeds United’s Cody Drameh compensate for the Max Aarons transfer blow?
A prominent school of thought among Leeds supporters has pertainted the undervaluing of Drameh, who has cut a peripheral figure in Yorkshire for quite some time now.
And, in spite of Leeds’ return to familiar territory under fresh management, that stance is yet to change, with veteran Luke Ayling getting the nod for the side’s opening two league encounters against Cardiff and Birmingham City.
However, it is extremely difficult to contest that Drameh is not deserving of a real, sustained chance to show his worth for the Whites.
Signed to the academy system from Fulham in 2020, Drameh routinely caught the eye at age group level and made three appearances in the Premier League before heading out on loan to Cardiff for the second-half of the 2021/22 campaign.
It is fair to say that he went on to etch a lasting impression in the Welsh capital.
While Drameh was only with the Bluebirds for a matter of months, he went on to scoop the club’s Player of the Season award in May after helping them to secure Championship survival, leading many fans to believe that an opening in Leeds’ first team awaited the prospect upon his return.
Instead, though, he forced his way into action for Leeds just twice- against Brentford and coincidentally back at the Cardiff City Stadium for January’s FA Cup showdown- prior to sealing yet another loan switch to the Championship, this time with Luton Town.
And, lo and behold, Drameh caught the eye at Kenilworth Road too and played a key role in the club’s shock ascendancy to the big time, all the while cementing his reputation as one of the league’s very best right-backs- and the numbers back it up.
Drameh’s dynamic and athletic qualities in and out possession supplement an extra sense of width going forward and, as per FBref, he ranked above 96% of Championship right-backs for touches in the attacking third with 24.92- Aarons averaged over seven less- 92% for key passes (1.74) and 87% for successful take-ons per 90 minutes with 1.25 per FBRef, proving vital to a team that often dispatched quick transitions to catch their opponents off-guard.
Leeds will not play quite the same way and can be expected to dominate the ball under Farke, though at times, they will still look to hit teams on the break and launch upfield with real speed and Drameh is precisely capable of performing this modus operandi, having trumped 96% for passes into the penalty area (1.88).
He is a player who likes to operate high up the pitch, evidenced by the 3.62 shot-creating actions he conjured for the Hatters, a figure that is well above Aarons’ 2.17 and ranked him above 95% of compatriots.
Interestingly, Drameh also scored higher than 99% for tackles in the final third, showing himself to be a player willing to press high up the pitch and win the ball back in key attacking areas.
His defensive attributes are what really distinguish him, though, and it is worth noting that Aarons pales in comparison.
For the Canaries, Aarons ranked above just 54% for attempted tackles, a meagre 25% for tackles won and then 51% for tackles and interceptions.
For Luton, Drameh ranked above 94% for attempted tackles, 96% for tackles won and then 92% for tackles and interceptions.
It is a comparison that speaks volumes.
Sure, Aarons’ ball-carrying qualities do outweigh those possessed by the Leeds man at the minute, but you suspect that it will come with time, and the fact that Drameh ranks higher in most suitable metrics is very telling of how undervalued he really is at Leeds.
That simply must change.
