Leeds United failed to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking with a 1-0 defeat to Southampton at Wembley in the play-off final in May.
They had finished third in the Championship table, just shy of Ipswich Town and Leicester City in the automatic promotion places, but failed to get over the line in the post-season tournament.
The Whites then lost several of their key players from the 2023/24 campaign, as Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Glen Kamara all moved on from Elland Road.
Daniel Farke was able to dip into the market, though, to sign Largie Ramazani, Joe Rothwell, Alex Cairns, Joe Rodon, Jayden Bogle, Ao Tanaka, Isaac Schmidt, and Manor Solomon to bolster his options across the pitch.
The German head coach also made an addition to the team without making a new signing by bringing Brenden Aaronson back into the group, after his spell out on loan, and has struck gold with the USA international.
Brenden Aaronson’s pre-Farke Leeds career
Jesse Marsch swooped to sign the attacking midfielder from RB Salzburg for a reported fee of £24.7m in the summer of 2022 and he endured a difficult debut year in England.
The move came after a return of 13 goals and 15 assists in 66 appearances for the Austrian giants, including two assists in eight Champions League outings.
Aaronson did not do enough on the pitch to justify his price tag at Leeds, though, and his struggles on the pitch contributed to the club’s eventual relegation from the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign.
22/23 Premier League Brenden Aaronson
Appearances 36
Goals 1
Assists 3
Ground duel success rate 43%
Aerial duel success rate 17%
As you can see in the table above, the 23-year-old dud only produced four direct goal contributions despite featuring in all bar two of the top-flight matches.
One goal in 36 outings, which came in his third league appearance against Chelsea, shows that he did not offer much of a goal threat for the Whites.
The American flop was dubbed a “lightweight” by pundit Jon Newsome when speaking to BBC Radio Leeds in February 2023 of that season, which is backed up by the statistics above as he lost the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air.
He did not provide enough at the top end of the pitch, with a lack of goals and assists, and was a liability out of possession, as defenders found it far too easy to get the better of him.
Put simply, the £24.7m-rated flop could not adapt to the quality or the physicality of the top division in England and his issues were amplified by playing in a struggling Leeds team that ended up being relegated.
Aaronson’s German loan struggles
Aaronson did not opt to stick around for the club’s first season back in the Championship, and made the decision to join Union Berlin on loan for the 2023/24 campaign.
The former Salzburg star had the chance to play Champions League football with the German side but did not enjoy his appearances in the competition.
He featured in all six of their group matches and failed to contribute with a single goal or assist as his team ended the group with zero wins under their belt.
23/24 Bundesliga Brenden Aaronson
Appearances 30
Goals 2
Big chances created 4
Assists 2
Duel success rate 45%
As you can see in the table above, Aaronson, as was the case in the Premier League, rarely made an impact at the top end of the pitch for Union.
Across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns combined, the midfielder scored three goals and provided five assists in 66 top-flight matches in the Bundesliga and the Premier League.
This highlights his struggles in the final third over the last two years and shows why some may not have expected him to return to Yorkshire to play a key role this season.
Farke has struck gold with Aaronson
Farke has since revealed that the decision to send the playmaker out on loan was made before his arrival at Elland Road to replace Sam Allardyce last summer.
After his dismal spell in the Premier League under Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Allardyce, the youngster may have wanted a fresh start and to get away from his problems on the pitch, but – 12 months on – he has made his return.
The German head coach decided this summer that the USA international will be a part of his first-team squad at Elland Road this season and, so far, it has proved to be a masterstroke as the midfielder has made himself undroppable.
He almost made the perfect return to competitive action at Elland Road on the opening day with a late strike to secure a 3-3 draw with Portsmouth, albeit there was a chance for him to score a second and win the game that went begging shortly after.
The right-footed wizard was made to come off the bench against West Brom in the 0-0 draw after the clash with Pompey but has started the last two games and caught the eye with his displays.
In two starts against Sheffield Wednesday and Hull, Aaronson has produced one goal, three key passes, and three successful dribbles, to go along with a pass accuracy of 89%.
He has provided a dynamic and relentless presence in the number ten position with his reliable and creative passing, progressive dribbling skills, and an eye for goal.
The American gem ranks within the top 90.8% of his positional peers in the Championship for goals per 90 (0.81) and the top 76.1% for pass accuracy (85.9%), which speaks to his quality in front of goal and his reliability in general play.
This is why the young whiz is now undroppable for Farke, as he has been sublime since coming in as a starter, and that is why the German coach has struck gold by bringing him back to the club this summer.
