Leeds United need more time to build and develop their squad at Premier League level after only earning promotion to the division from the Championship last year.
The Whites are in their second season back in the top-flight, after finishing 14th in the 2025/26 campaign, and they have only lost one of their opening six matches this term.
Daniel Farke‘s squad is still far from perfect, though, and there will continue to be work done in the upcoming transfer windows to upgrade the quality of the group across various positions.
The attack is one area of the squad that could be looked at in the January transfer window, as players like Brenden Aaronson have struggled at the top end of the pitch.
Why Brenden Aaronson needs to be replaced
The USA international has failed to deliver a single goal or assist in the opening six matches of the Premier League season, although he did score in the 6-3 defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup.
Since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, Aaronson has started 32 of his 43 appearances in the top-flight for the West Yorkshire outfit, scoring four goals and providing five assists.
The former Salzburg star has not produced quality in front of goal on a consistent enough basis, with no Premier League goals in his last 23 matches, and needs to be replaced in January.
|
26/27 Premier League |
Brenden Aaronson |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
6 |
|
xG |
0.01 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.3 |
|
Duel success rate |
37% |
Farke should push for the club to sign another attacking midfielder to start matches on a regular basis, so that the American playmaker does not have as significant of a role in the team moving forward, due to his lack of impact on the ball.
Why Leeds should not sell Aaronson
Just because Aaronson needs to be replaced as a regular starter does not mean that the USMNT star should be sold by the Whites in the next transfer window.
The 25-year-old midfielder is still a hard worker out of possession, ranking in the top 13% of attacking midfielders for defensive contributions (216) last season, and can provide value in certain games or as a substitute when Leeds are already winning.
Along with his defensive work rate, Aaronson has also shown that he can contribute with goals and assists at times, racking up nine goal contributions last term, which means that he could be serviceable as a squad player.
Therefore, Leeds should keep hold of the attacking midfielder and reduce his importance within the squad, rather than sell him in the next window.
£15m Leeds flop should be sold before Aaronson
Whilst Aaronson could retain his place at Elland Road, just with a different role, there is one of his teammates who could be moved on after the turn of the year.
In the summer of 2015, Leeds needed to bolster their squad after earning promotion from the Championship and one of the signings that they made was the £15m addition of central defender Jaka Bijol.
The Slovenia international started the campaign as a back-up to Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk when Farke deployed a 4-3-3 formation, but he got his chance when the switch to a 3-4-2-1 was made.
He went on to start 21 of his 25 appearances in the division, keeping five clean sheets for the team, and enjoyed a solid enough first season in the Premier League.
However, no one seems to be talking about how disappointing he has been at the start of his second year with the Whites, as he has struggled in recent months.
|
Jaka Bijol in 26/27 Premier League |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Minutes |
|
Arsenal |
10 |
|
Crystal Palace |
0 |
|
Newcastle United |
0 |
|
Brighton |
29 |
|
Brentford |
45 |
|
Nottingham Forest |
90 |
He has only started two of the club’s six matches in the Premier League and has quickly fallen down the pecking order, behind new signings Nico Elvedi and Tarik Muharemovic.
Bijol started the first two games of the campaign and was substituted at half-time in the second match against Brentford, after winning just one duel in 45 minutes of action.
His last start in all competitions came in the 6-3 defeat to Chelsea in the League Cup at Stamford Bridge in September, as he was too slow to get out to challenge several of the goals conceded that night.
The Slovenian defender has looked off the pace whenever he has been given an opportunity this season, which is why he was substituted against Brentford and the team conceded six when he played 90 minutes against Chelsea.
Bijol is not looking like value for money at £15m at this moment in time and it remains to be seen how he feels about being a back-up option for Leeds, which could lead to Farke having to make a decision on his future in January.
Therefore, the former Udinese star could end up being sold before Aaronson if the defender looks for a new club when the next transfer window opens for business.
