In the wider reaches of European football, a full Leeds United line-up is out on loan — 11 players absent on temporary deals after a contentious exodus from the Championship club during the post-relegation summer.
For many of them, their departures felt like the end of the line; loans which would precede permanent transfers. Some did not see themselves returning. In certain cases, it was debatable whether Leeds had any interest in having them back. Between poor form and bridges burned, there was not a lot of love left.
Brenden Aaronson, the USMNT midfielder, was one of those who left with no promise of kicking a ball at Elland Road again. But he surprised many in an interview with The Athletic last week when he suggested a long-term future with Leeds was still possible. “It’s not done and dusted or anything like that,” Aaronson said, to very mixed responses.
But how do Leeds see his situation and that of the others? And in an ideal world, how will it work out for the club when the borrowed crop reach the end of these loans?
The Athletic analyses the lie of the land for all concerned.
Brenden Aaronson (Union Berlin)
Aaronson was a £25million ($31.1m) signing for Leeds in the summer of 2022, and that in itself was a factor in what happened with him 12 months later. The club had no right to block his loan to Champions League-bound German side Union Berlin. The terms of his contract allowed him to leave on a temporary basis in the event of relegation. As Aaronson revealed to The Athletic, the wheels were in motion for that move within no time of Leeds dropping out of the Premier League in May.
Aaronson didn’t rule out a return to Leeds (Luciano Lima via Getty Images)
And from a financial fair play (FFP) perspective, a loan was better for Leeds than a permanent transfer, simply because they knew that any permanent deal would force them to take a loss on Aaronson. They saw little chance of recouping £25million in this summer’s window and booking a lower fee in their accounts would have increased the challenge of staying within the Championship’s profit and sustainability (P&S) limits. Instead, Aaronson’s entire salary was moved off the wage bill for a season.
The line coming out of Elland Road when he left was that, ideally, Aaronson would have a strong season in the Bundesliga and in European club competition, increasing his value and putting Leeds in a better position to sell him for an acceptable fee in summer 2024. That strategy implied that he was not seen as part of his parent club’s plans, despite him being relatively young (he turned 23 last month) and having a contract to 2027. There is, however, no permanent option in Union’s favour.
Aaronson did not adapt well to the Premier League and his first year in England was incredibly difficult. In new manager Daniel Farke’s system, there would only really be scope to play him as a No 10 — and Aaronson’s impact would have to improve markedly in comparison to 2022-23.
Union have had a dreadful campaign so far, leaving them at the bottom of the Bundesliga and now managerless, and in terms of any redemption arc, Aaronson has a long way to go if the resurrection of his Leeds career is in any way feasible. It is not what the club anticipate.
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Luis Sinisterra (Bournemouth)
Leeds don’t doubt that Sinisterra is a talented footballer or, if he stays fit, that he could be an asset to them in the Premier League. His arrival from leading Dutch side Feyenoord did not leave him out of his depth in England’s top flight, though he was injured repeatedly last season.
But politically, it would be very difficult for Sinisterra to get to the end of his season’s loan at Bournemouth and stroll back into Elland Road. He and Leeds were at odds in the latter stages of the summer window, with Sinisterra threatening legal action if he was not allowed to leave on loan. It created a sour taste and Angus Kinnear, Leeds’ chief executive, has as good as said they would not want Sinisterra back.
Sinisterra chatting to Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola (Alex Livesey via Getty Images)
The dispute centred around a release clause in Sinisterra’s contract, one he believed Leeds had failed to honour properly, and in the final hours before the deadline, the club relented and let him go to Bournemouth, in return for Jaidon Anthony moving the other way on loan.
Sinisterra’s last-gasp departure did not please Farke, Leeds or their supporters — and on that basis, reintegrating him seems nigh-on impossible. Bournemouth have a ‘potential purchase option’ at the end of his loan.
Jack Harrison (Everton)
Harrison was another player who actively sought a move away before the cut-off point for members of the squad to activate their release clauses.
The winger only signed a new deal in April, running to 2028, and the agreement of fresh terms so soon before relegation and his eventual exit to Everton are indicative of a bizarre year personally — one in which he had come very close to being sold to Leicester City during the January window, only for Leeds to backtrack suddenly.
Harrison has shown before that he is good enough for the Premier League. The parting of ways between him and Leeds in August did not create especially bad blood internally, and there was no friction between him and Farke. But the 26-year-old was quietly frustrated by the way the saga of his aborted move to Leicester was handled, and he has taken criticism from sections of Leeds’ fanbase over his decision to go to Everton.
Even though there are four and a half years left on his contract, his future is likely to lie away from Elland Road.
The Athletic has been told that if Leeds fail to go straight back up this season, the terms of Harrison’s contract could allow him to go out on loan again next summer. His move to Everton is a straight loan, with no option to buy, but he has settled well.
Harrison has been impressing for Everton (Clive Rose via Getty Images)
Max Wober (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Wober disappointed Leeds by first indicating he would stick around in the Championship, only to tell them he intended to leave once Borussia Monchengladbach made a bid. He had been with Leeds for less than six months having signed for £10million in January, on a contract running to 2027.
He justified his move to Germany on the basis that he needed to protect his international place with Austria in a season that ends with a European Championship but needless to say, the nature of his sudden departure did not go down well at Elland Road.
Leeds and Monchengladbach discussed a permanent option, although neither side confirmed at the time whether an agreement over a future fee was reached or finalised. There is not believed to be one in place. Gladbach seem happy with his form to this point and as it stands, Leeds do not envisage a time when Wober plays for them again.
Rasmus Kristensen (Roma)
Kristensen left for Roma on a straight season-long loan and, to say the least, has not had a great time of it. Even if there had been an option for Roma to buy him at a later date, it is questionable as to whether they would be minded to do so, as Kristensen’s impact has been so limited.
In his appearances for Leeds last season, the Denmark international looked well short of the standards of the Premier League and it would suit the club to move him off their books full-time next summer. What remains to be seen is how much of a loss they would have to stomach on the £10million they paid to take him from Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg.
Kristensen has had limited impact for Roma in Serie A (Isabello Bonotto/AFP via Getty Images)
Diego Llorente (Roma)
Like fellow defender Kristensen, he went to Roma on a straight loan — his second temporary spell with the Italian side in as many seasons. Unlike Kristensen, Llorente has been a regular in Jose Mourinho’s defence and Leeds are very much open to permanent offers for him further down the line.
Leeds took the odd decision to hand Llorente a new contract last December, irrespective of the fact his appearances for them were increasingly rare. He left for his first loan at Roma soon after.
The theory went that across the transfer market as a whole, centre-backs were becoming more and more valuable, and Llorente — an £18million signing from Spain’s Real Sociedad in 2020 — might be a route to a sizeable transfer fee if he received a longer deal. But in practice, his form in England was very ordinary and an option for Roma to make his move permanent at the end of his initial loan did not get exercised.
Marc Roca (Real Betis)
Roca has made a much better impression at Seville-based Betis than he did in England and it appears that his style and strengths are far more suited to La Liga than they were to the Premier League.
Betis sought an option to sign Roca permanently, and the only obstacle for them might be their tight budget. They are not cash-rich. But Leeds have no plans to re-involve him and people close to Roca say he is also minded to think that his days at Elland Road are done. His £10million move from Bayern Munich in summer 2022 goes down as another failed transfer.
Roca seems better suited to La Liga than English football (Fran Santiago via Getty Images)
Sam Greenwood (Middlesbrough)
Farke had a close look at several youngsters during the summer before concluding they would not be a part of his plans.
Greenwood was one of those, along with Cody Drameh and Leo Hjelde. He eventually joined fellow Championship side Middlesbrough, where he has shown some impressive form, scoring four times in his last six appearances, including their winner against Leicester City on Saturday.
Farke was happy to see Greenwood go out and Middlesbrough negotiated a £1.5million option to take him permanently at the end of the season. Based on how he has played for them so far, that seems highly likely to happen.
Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Koch’s deal at Leeds expires in 2024, meaning when his loan at Frankfurt finishes, he will be a free agent. So this boat has sailed.
Cody Drameh (Birmingham City)
Drameh is into the last year of his Leeds contract but his loan to Birmingham still included a permanent option set for next summer.
The reason for that is Drameh is 21 years old and, because of his age, Leeds only have to offer him an extension on his existing terms to be entitled to compensation for him at the end of this season. The right-back has no intention of actually taking up a fresh deal at Elland Road having struggled for game time.
Drameh is another player unlikely to return to Leeds (Steve Bardens via Getty Images)
Sonny Perkins (Oxford United)
Leeds caused minor ructions by landing Perkins originally, bringing him into their academy after he refused the offer of a professional deal at West Ham United. The London club were angered by the loss of Perkins and, via an official statement on their website, went close to alleging that an illegal approach had been made.
It left the matter to be settled via tribunal but Perkins has not progressed at Elland Road and so far at Oxford, who are second in the third tier of English football, he has barely kicked a ball. He is still only 19 but, given that Farke allowed him to go in the first place, it is hard to see how he forces his way back into the picture at his parent club.
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(Top photo: Diego Llorente; Elianto/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
