Brenden Aaronson has been a tricky player to evaluate since he arrived at Elland Road. The Leeds United midfielder was bought for a heavy price tag back in 2023.
But he failed to deliver in his first season; outside some bright spots, he was genuinely underwhelming in that campaign. That season saw him benched by multiple coaches as the team needed consistent performers to escape relegation. Aaronson became a bit of an afterthought past that summer; he left to Union Berlin on loan when Leeds United were in the Championship.
Daniel Farke made the difficult decision to re-integrate the American into the first team last year. The club needed someone to play the number 10 role, and had missed out on quality targets.
Stuart Dallas makes surprising claim about Leeds United star
Surprisingly, the decision from the Leeds United boss paid off. Aaronson had his best return in a Leeds shirt – getting nine goals and two assists in the Championship. There were questions if he would fit in this season in the Premier League, with how he ended the last campaign. And with the team changing formations, his spot in the team was not guaranteed.
| Competition | Games Played | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 29 | 4 | 3 |
| FA Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 32 | 9 | 17 |
It took Farke a while, but the midfielder was used in multiple roles before he was put back in a familiar position behind the striker. He picked up some decent form at the end of last year, getting some goals and assists.
Former Leeds man Stuart Dallas has made an incredible claim, as he said the midfielder was a contender for the club’s player of the season on the official Leeds United podcast: “Contender for player of the season, if he [Aaronson] keeps going the way he’s going.”
Brenden Aaronson has not been at his best in months
The Leeds star has clearly dipped in form since the start of the year; he managed to get three goals and two assists in December. But he is yet to register a goal contribution in all competitions since the calendar year began. And his place in the team is under pressure, considering the fact that he is not performing. What makes it even worse is that he has had some guilt edged opportunities over the past few weeks against Manchester City, and this past Sunday against Crystal Palace. He is an intelligent player, but when he finds himself in promising positions, fans know the outcome. Daniel Farke might choose to bench the American soon, for a player that Stuart Dallas thinks is a potential player of the year, he has failed to step up in 2026.
