Leeds in mix to sign “energetic” £45k-p/w star

Leeds United will end 2024 at the top of the Championship table after they travelled to Pride Park to secure a 1-0 win against Derby County on Sunday.

The Whites are two points clear of Sheffield United in second and three points ahead of Burnley in third, which illustrates how tight it is at the top of the division.

Daniel Farke’s side will need to remain consistent in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign to ensure that they do not drop off into the play-offs, as they did last season.

The West Yorkshire outfit failed to secure automatic promotion and eventually lost 1-0 to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley in May, after they finished third in the regular season.

Leeds will be hoping for a different outcome this time around and they could use the upcoming January transfer window to make additions to their squad to bolster their chances of promotion.

Interestingly, the Whites have reportedly set their sights on a player who currently plays for one of the teams they are competing with for automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Leeds eyeing up Burnley star

According to The Boot Room, Leeds are one of a number of clubs in the mix to sign Burnley attacking midfielder Josh Brownhill in one of the next two transfer windows.

The report claims that Fiorentina and Lazio have both made offers to sign the Clarets skipper, whilst Rangers and Celtic are both weighing up bids of their own for the Englishman.

Brownhill’s contract at Turf Moor expires at the end of the season and he has yet to put pen to paper on the extension that has been offered to him, with the two Serie A teams now putting pre-contract deals on the table.

Clubs in England will have to wait until the summer to negotiate a free transfer for him, however, and may need to see if they can strike an agreement for a permanent deal in January, allowing Burnley to recoup some money for his services.

The Boot Room adds that Everton, West Ham United, Leeds, Crystal Palace, and Brentford are the teams in England looking at a potential swoop for the central midfielder.

Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the Whites can strike a deal for him in January or on a free transfer in the summer, amid tough competition for his signature, Brownhill could come in as a fantastic addition, and an even better option than Brenden Aaronson.

Brenden Aaronson’s form this season

The USA international scored the winning goal against Derby County on Sunday, with a fantastic run and a perfect finish to secure the 1-0 win in the second half.

It has been all about redemption for the American midfielder this season after he decided to ditch the team to go out on loan to Union Berlin for the 2023/24 campaign. After being part of the Leeds side that got relegated from the Premier League in the previous season, Aaronson did not want to play a part in helping the club get back to the top-flight and moved to Germany.

This summer, however, the 24-year-old whiz returned to Elland Road in an attempt to redeem himself and help the Whites to get back to the big time.

He worked hard in pre-season to earn the trust of Farke, who brought him into the group, and has emerged as a regular starter for the club so far this season in the Championship.

As you can see in the table above, the American gem has started 22 of the club’s 24 league matches and contributed with 12 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined.

He has been unfortunate, with five ‘big chances’ created, to only record two assists, and has been relatively effective in front of goal, matching his Expected Goals tally.

Whilst Aaronson has been a solid contributor for Leeds at the top end of the pitch, and scored the all-important goal against Derby on Sunday, Farke could secure an even better player in that position by winning the race to bring Brownhill to Elland Road.

Why Josh Brownhill would be even better than Brenden Aaronson

Firstly, the 29-year-old Burnley ace is an experienced star who has played in the Premier League and the Championship, which means that the club would be signing someone who does not need time to adjust to either division and could hit the ground running.

This means that signing him would be less of a risk than spending millions on a player from another league with no prior experience of football in England, as there is no telling how they would adapt to the country or league.

Brownhill’s form at Championship and Premier League level also suggests that he would offer more than Aaronson as a central or attacking midfield player.

In the 2023/24 campaign, the £45k-per-week whiz produced four goals and two assists in 23 top-flight starts, to go along with 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game and a 56% duel success rate.

Whereas, Aaronson managed one goal and three assists in 28 Premier League starts, losing 60% of his duels, in the 2022/23 season, which suggests that Brownhill could have more to offer in and out of possession at the top level.

As you can see in the table above, the Burnley star has also been far more clinical in front of goal than Aaronson in the Championship this term, whilst providing more from a defensive perspective each match.

These statistics, from the Premier League and the second tier, illustrate the difference in quality between the two players and suggest that Brownhill could come in to improve the team, in and out of possession.

Therefore, Farke should push to sign the 29-year-old gem, who was once hailed as “energetic” by pundit Lee Hendrie, either in January or in the summer, as he could be an excellent addition.