By admin 
While it remains to be seen whether Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has been given the necessary resources to guide his new side to promotion this season, the Whites are likely to have benefited from the recent huge clearout.
Not every departure would have been a positive – Rodrigo, for example, left after providing 15 goals last season – but the Yorkshire giants were able to get rid of a number of underperforming assets who were responsible for their relegation last season.
Among the 15 players loaned out was midfield flop Marc Roca, who scored just once and provided only two assists in his debut season at the club last season, while Rasmus Kristensen also left on loan despite only joining from Red Bull Salzburg a year ago.
As writer Zach Lowy noted, the disappointing defender simply “failed to make the step up from the Austrian Bundesliga to the Premier League” following his £10m move to Elland Road, having shared the same fate as teammate Brenden Aaronson, who also flattered to deceive after joining from Salzburg.
It is fair to argue that the United States international was one of the season’s most frustrating or shocking failures, with the 22-year-old failing to reach the heights that were expected despite the tremendous fanfare and his excellent start to life in English football.
It’s fair to say that the United States international was one of the season’s most frustrating or shocking flops, with the 22-year-old failing to live up to expectations despite huge fanfare and an excellent start to life in English football.
That intense, long-running interest in the 5 foot 10 talent had been justified at the time, as he had picked up 28 goals and assists in just 65 games for his previous employers across all competitions, with a haul of 16 goal involvements during his final season in Austria.
The hope had been that Aaronson would be able to assist replace the vacuum left by erstwhile talisman Pablo Hernandez’s departure the previous year, with Leeds in need of a new creative spark as a link between the midfield and attack.
What was stated about Aaronson after he moved to Leeds?
It would be a promising start to last season for both Aaronson and Marsch’s side in general, with the one-time Philadelphia Union star hailed as the Yorkshire club’s “standout” purchase of the summer by pundit Noel Whelan, who also praised the midfielder’s qualities:
“He’s very positive and full of energy; he drives forward with great technical ability and has an eye for a pass.”
Leeds started the season well, winning three of their first three league games, with Aaronson scoring in a decisive 3-0 win over Chelsea to signal his presence in the Premier League.
“Really impressed with him, everything, I don’t think he’s got a weakness,” ex-Leeds defender Matthew Kilgallon said at the time of the new man’s performance against the Blues. He works hard, defends well, gets back in place quickly, and does everything correctly. He seemed to be a good boy out there, wanting to do his best.
“And he’s come into the Premier League and just taken to it so well.” He gives everything, he runs about giving everything. But I believe we need him for 90 minutes. “I believe he’s that good.”
Marsch characterized Hernandez as “relentless,” and analyst Owen Hargreaves called him a “fantastic young player.” Comparisons to Hernandez began to pour in, with journalist Graham Smyth stating in October:
“On his way to the goal, he beat four or five, six, seven, or eleven Palace players.” Really beautiful feet to get into the area, only days after I’d written in the Yorkshire Evening Post about the need for a magician because they used to rely so heavily on Pablo Hernandez to bring them into the box and generate opportunities.
“We just haven’t seen anyone routinely doing it, but Aaronson really made that happen with his dribbling ability.”
While Hernandez, who was instrumental in winning Leeds’ promotion in 2019/20, established himself as a true hero with 77 goals and assists in 175 games across all competitions for the club, Aaronson’s early performances appear to have been a false dawn…
What happened to Brenden Aaronson?
Aaronson’s strong performances, like Leeds’ overall form, quickly faded as he struggled to maintain that early influence, finishing 2022/23 with only one goal and three assists in 36 league games.
The misfiring maestro was unable to recreate the form he had exhibited during his time in Salzburg, making it somewhat of a puzzle that he continued to be selected from the start week in and week out.
Aaronson wasn’t fully ejected from the side until the late, desperate arrival of Sam Allardyce – after starting on the bench for the final six games of the season – but by then the damage had been done, with Leeds falling into relegation.
Those difficulties guaranteed that few tears were shed when the 34-cap international’s loan move to Union Berlin was announced, with the ‘failed’ signing finding himself at a team that will compete in the Champions League this season.
Life in the German capital hasn’t started off well, with Aaronson being sent off on just his second Bundesliga outing against Darmstadt, hardly leaving those back at Elland Road regretting their choice to let him go.
Once regarded as Hernandez’s heir, a future at Leeds now appears especially improbable for the New Jersey native, with it being best for all parties if they break connections fully next summer.
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