'Monumental' - Brenden Aaronson's mentor issues verdict on historic Leeds United transfer - YEP 27/5/22
Leeds United have sealed the permanent addition of USMNT international Brenden Aaronson on a five-year deal
By Joe Donnohue
Leeds United's summer transfer business has been conducted without
delay this year with the Whites wasting no time in confirming their first
addition.
Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson signed in a £25
million deal from Austrian side FC Red Bull Salzburg and will join up with the
squad for pre-season in a month's time when the move is officially ratified on
July 1.
The American arrives with a reputation for hard work off the
ball, creativity on it and as one of the United States' most revered attacking
players.
The 21-year-old arrived in Europe from Philadelphia Union in
January 2021 but quickly made a positive impression in continental competition
such as the Europa League and Champions League with Salzburg.
In joining Leeds this week, Aaronson becomes the second-most
expensive American in history, behind only Chelsea's Christian Pulisic.
Aaronson's former head coach in MLS has expressed his
delight at the youngster's move: "Couldn’t be more happy for the Aaronson
family, for Brenden, for Jesse [Marsch], for the great work that Salzburg did,
obviously for the great deal that Ernst Tanner made for our club,” Philadelphia
Union boss Jim Curtin said.
“A monumental day, not just for the parents and family, but
for the Union, for our academy, for the work that goes on there. And obviously
the dollars behind it, too, are impressive," he told the Philadelphia
Inquirer.
The MLS club are understood to have received approximately
$5 million as part of a sell-on clause inserted into the deal which brought
Aaronson to Salzburg in the first place.
“Winning is still priority number one but within that, we
want to win games and we want to also sell top players to Europe,” Curtin said.
“And with that, young players are going to look at us and
say, ‘We want to come there, we want to be developed, we want to move on when
the time is right, play for the national team.’ These are all good things, and
I think it paints our club in a positive light.”
Aaronson is something of a poster-boy for US soccer having
made a successful move across the Atlantic, thrived in European competition and
subsequently earned a transfer to a Premier League club.
