Leeds United have already addressed major transfer priority and saved millions in the process — YEP 11/6/24

By Kyle Newbould

The transfer window doesn’t open until Friday but Leeds United have just ticked off a huge summer issue.

It is perhaps a sign of the new-found stability at Leeds United that they have ironed out a prominent transfer issue before the summer window even opens. Business between clubs can begin on Friday, officially, but those in charge at Elland Road have plenty to keep them busy beforehand and the return of last summer’s loan exits is top of their to-do list.

On Monday, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported that one of those exits, Brenden Aaronson, would indeed return to Elland Road and remain there for the foreseeable future. The 23-year-old was open to staying at loan club Union Berlin for another year but after holding positive talks with manager Daniel Farke, opted to take a role in next season’s Championship promotion push.

The reaction to that news on social media would suggest opinion on Aaronson’s return - or any loanee’s hypothetical comeback - is split, and fierce. Leeds fans feel strongly about their club and do little to hide those feelings, particularly when they feel wronged. But at least a sizeable minority have backed the American’s return in the hope his skillset will be better-suited to a dominant second-tier team than a club falling apart at the seams and in the midst of a relegation battle.

For Farke and those above him, the decision to welcome back Aaronson is far less emotional. It is in part financial - any sale would almost certainly book a significant loss on the £25m they spent two years ago - but it is also an easy way to tick off a major summer priority without spending a penny. Any honest assessment of Leeds would place a No.10 towards the top of their summer shopping list, regardless of any potential sales.

At his best, Georginio Rutter was the most exciting No.10 in the league and Leeds will be desperate to keep hold of him - another whose sale would not bank serious profit. But that ‘best’ was not present from March onwards and a glaring problem in Leeds’ poor run of form was the inability to ease pressure on Rutter or effectively switch things up in that area of the pitch.

Leeds needed flexibility in their attacking unit but Farke was left with little option but to stick with Rutter and hope he turned it on - one goal and zero assists in his final 11 games would suggest he didn’t. Whether Aaronson can recreate the level of creativity and influence that Rutter did until March remains to be seen but the former RB Salzburg man showed glimpses of similar strengths in Germany, driving the ball forward and squeezing through spaces once he was played in his natural No.10 role.

“I was comfortable in the position I was playing, which is between the lines and today I was just trying to find free space and break up the lines,” Aaronson said after enjoying his best game for Union, scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory over Werder Bremen in March. “It felt right to me, that’s how I’ve played my whole career and it felt really good today.

“Honestly, the last few weeks haven't come out of nowhere. I didn’t really get my chance after the first couple of games, I’ve had to be patient, learn the style of play. I wasn’t playing in position, it wasn’t the best but at 10 today, it makes such a difference. I had a free role, it felt good, it felt right and I was able to play my game.”

Leeds fans also saw those glimpses during the Premier League relegation season but not often enough did it convert into goals or assists - just one and three, respectively, over 36 league appearances. Maybe the drop in quality will provide scope for those numbers to increase. They will have to if Leeds fans are to warm to him.

For now, Aaronson is with his United States teammates preparing for the Copa America. Familiar faces Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie will be alongside him, and a meeting with Canada and Jesse Marsch would bring back some tough memories for anyone watching on from West Yorkshire.

“Assisting and getting goals is my main priority,” he told the Philadelphia Inquirer recently, building up to this summer’s tournament. It needs to be his priority upon returning back to Leeds as well, but a more productive and confident Aaronson could represent an excellent addition to Farke’s squad, and without spending a penny.