Leeds United could look to bolster their squad when the January transfer window officially opens for business at the start of next month.
Whilst supporters may want to see the club splash the cash to bring in fresh recruits, Daniel Farke’s side could receive a surprise boost with the return of Brenden Aaronson.
TEAMtalk recently reported that the USA international is set to hold talks with the manager over a possible return to Elland Road as his loan spell with Union Berlin has been a failure so far.
The former Salzburg star is said to be considering his options ahead of the second half of the season and the report added that Farke believes he could be a huge boost to the squad.
Whilst Aaronson has not enjoyed the best of times since his initial move to England last year, the German head coach could work his magic to unearth his next version of Todd Cantwell.
Todd Cantwell’s Championship form under Farke
Like the American dynamo, the now-Rangers star is a slight attacking midfielder who can also operate on the flank and has the quality to chip in with both goals and assists.
Cantwell won the Championship title under Farke twice during their time together at Norwich, having come up through the academy, in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns.
Across those two seasons, the English whiz racked up seven goals, eight assists, and 13 ‘big chances’ created in 48 league starts for the Canaries.
The German tactician got the best out of the former England U21 international in his possession-based 4-2-3-1 system that allowed him to drift inside from out wide to link up play with the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Kieran Dowell, and Teemu Pukki.
These statistics show that Cantwell was a versatile attacker, who played out wide and centrally for Farke, and had the quality to make an impact as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
The statistics that show why Aaronson could revive his Leeds career
It could be difficult to find a Leeds supporter who believes that Aaronson would improve the squad during the second half of the season based on what they watched of him last term.
The USA international managed one goal and three assists in 36 Premier League matches and has since failed to provide a goal or an assist in ten Bundesliga outings for Union.
However, his form for Salzburg before his switch to England in 2022 suggests that there is the potential there for Farke to work his magic on the 23-year-old whiz.
Jesse Marsch, who managed Aaronson at Salzburg and Leeds, once oddly described him as a “weed”, because of his growth every day in training, and a “special” young man.
At the age of 23, there is still plenty of time for the talented gem to continue his development and the current Whites boss could use his skills to get the best out of him, having worked with the likes of Cantwell, Buendia, James Maddison, and Max Aarons, among others, whilst the drop down to Championship level could also help him.
Aaronson produced nine goals, nine assists, and 14 ‘big chances’ created in 36 Bundesliga starts during his last two seasons in Austria with Salzburg.
This means that he managed more goals, assists, and ‘big chances’ created in fewer appearances than Cantwell did at Championship level with Farke.
If the former Borussia Monchengladbach chief can work his magic to get the Union loanee firing during the second half of the season then he could have his next version of the ex-Norwich star as a silky, yet slight, attacking midfielder with the ability to be a difference-maker in the final third.
