“He has burned his bridges at Elland Road, We can rule out him being reintegrated into the side, One of the worst signings we’ve made, He’s been shocking for Two years”- Leeds Fan Pundit gives damning verdict on future of on-loan Leeds star
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FLW’s Leeds United fan pundit believes Brenden Aaronson’s future at Elland Road is all but over.
Leeds United loaned Brenden Aaronson to Bundesliga outfit Union Berlin in the summer, but things haven’t gone to plan for the USMNT international in Germany so far.
The Whites saw numerous players leave the club shortly after relegation from the Premier League, as loan clauses became a pressing issue for Daniel Farke and the 49ers to deal with and navigate in the market.
A loan to a Champions League club came as a shock when Aaronson joined his latest side, but he and his new club have both struggled this season. Union sit 14th in the Bundesliga and Aaronson has one goal and no assists from 29 appearances so far, with seven of those coming as starts.
Aaronson came to the Whites with a decent reputation from his time in Austria with RB Salzburg, and plenty of potential at the age of just 22, but what Leeds were served up on the pitch was not worth the reported fee of close to £25 million, with the midfielder penning a five-year deal at Elland Road.
It was a huge overpay in the end, with the USMNT international scoring once and assisting a further three times in 40 appearances for Leeds. The attacking-midfielder showed a lack of strength and physicality whilst also struggling to create consistently, and the same issues have hampered him during his loan in Berlin as well.
FLW’s Leeds United fan pundit Kris Smith believes a loan exit is now the best plan of action, with Aaronson’s immediate and long-term future not likely to be with the West Yorkshire outfit.
He said: “Aaronson has burned his bridges at Elland Road, as far as I’m concerned.
“We can rule out him being reintegrated into the side if we get promoted, or even if we don’t, to be honest.
“What we saw with him struggling in the Premier League is exactly the same problems Union Berlin are having with him at the moment.
“He’s too weak, he can’t protect the ball properly, and he has really poor decision-making for someone who’s playing in attacking-midfield.
“Having spent £25 million on him, it’s fair to assume that sort of fee is off the table for us in terms of getting that back.
“My worry is that we’re not going to get remotely even close to that for him. He’s been shocking for two years now, really.
“It’s turned out to be, pound-for-pound, one of the worst signings we’ve made in recent history.
“I can’t see how we redeem that in the summer through a sale, and another loan seems like the obvious choice.
“We won’t get anything close to £25 million, but a loan could potentially up his market value.”
As Smith alludes to, it would make little sense to try and sell him with his resale value absolutely non-existent, which may never recover, but a loan to a different environment could get more out of the American.
The signing looks worse by the game, be that for Leeds or Union, which is obviously a concern for the club heading into the summer window.
It’s possible Aaronson will never make it as a player in English football due to his lack of physicality, as he struggles to shield the ball and draw fouls in the absence of upper body strength.
