Leeds United completed the signing of Brenden Aaronson last week, their first transfer of the summer window.
The United States international has agreed a five-year deal at Elland Road and links back up with Jesse Marsch who he has spent time working with previously.
Aaronson, 21, already has 19 international caps to his name, having scored six goals for the national team, and can play as a no. 10 or as a winger.
Upon his signing, director of football Victor Orta said:
“We’re pleased to have reached this agreement, we’ve been really impressed with the talent and skill set of Brenden, along with all the physical data collected on him. We believe he will improve the squad and we are really happy, it is very difficult to find a young player of this level, especially with Champions League experience. He can play in a number of positions and we believe he is the perfect player fit for us. We’ve been interested in Brenden for a long time and with taking the decision to hire Jesse Marsch and their experience of working together in the past, we wanted to close the deal as soon as possible which we now have done.” – Victor Orta
Jesse Marsch added:
“Brenden is an incredibly hard worker and we’re pleased to welcome him to the club. He adapts very well to tactical ideas and levels of play and his mentality is to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed. I know he will fit in here perfectly with our players and club with this mindset.” – Jesse Marsch
Aaronson clearly has a big role to play next season, but what will he bring to Leeds and can he become a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) option?
We’ll attempt to answer those questions below.
THE HISTORY
Season | Team | Apps | Goals | Assists |
2021/22 | RB Salzburg | 26 | 4 | 5 |
2020/21 | RB Salzburg | 20 | 5 | 5 |
2020 | Philadelphia Union | 20 | 4 | 3 |
2019 | Philadelphia Union | 28 | 3 | 1 |
Above: Brenden Aaronson’s league appearances and attacking returns via Transfermarkt
Coming through the ranks with Philadelphia Union, Aaronson made a goalscoring MLS debut in March 2019, netting in the 1-1 draw with Atlanta United. He went on to cement his place as a regular starter and came second in the MLS Rookie of the Year award, before making his debut for the United States national team in February 2020. Later that year, he won his and Philadelphia’s first-ever trophy – the MLS Supporters’ Shield – with the midfielder also named in the MLS Best XI.
That earnt him a move to RB Salzburg for just shy of £5m plus bonuses, where he would link up with current Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch. Under his guidance, Aaronson thrived in Austria, scoring 13 times and providing 15 assists in 65 games in all competitions, helping the club win two league and cup doubles. Aaronson also played 10 games in the Champions League in 2021/22, helping Salzburg reach the Last-16 where he provided two assists against Bayern Munich.
At international level, Aaronson is capped 19 times for the USMNT, hitting six goals and four assists.
PLAYING STYLE/UNDERLYING STATS
Aaronson is essentially an attacking midfielder, who is comfortable playing on both flanks or in behind a striker.
Deployed at the tip of Salzburg’s diamond formation in 2021/22, his movement is captured below:
Above: Brenden Aaronson’s touch heatmap 2021/22, via Sofa Score
Aaronson’s off-the-ball movement is very good, which means he often arrives in the box at exactly the right time, whilst he also loves to dribble and beat defenders.
However, pressing remains his biggest asset, which isn’t a huge surprise given that he’s spent the last couple of years with a Red Bull team.
Aaronson scored four league goals last season for Salzburg, underperforming his expected goals (xG) tally, as he racked up 8.3 xG’s worth of shots. That’s because quite a few of his attempts arrived outside of the box.
In terms of his creative output, he had five assists from an expected assists (xA) value of 3.5, meaning his team-mates scored at a slightly higher rate than they would be expected to based on the chances he made.
WHERE AARONSON FITS IN AT LEEDS AND IS HE WORTH BUYING IN FPL?
“I got a little, I guess definition about the player that Leeds want, and I think I fit that. They celebrate a tackle like a goal, and I’m going to be that guy that’s not only going to be the creative outlet or the guy that’s going to be playing I guess, the [No.] 10 or winger or whatever. I’m going to be the guy that’s going to be working hard too and that’s what Leeds is.” – Brenden Aaronson
“Jesse [Marsch] is a fantastic coach. I worked with him for half-a-year at Red Bull Salzburg and he was amazing. I was grateful to work with him then and I am grateful to work with him again, so I am excited. With the half-year I played under him, he taught me a lot. He taught me how to get into the final third to score goals and get assists, so that’s something I am looking to bring here. I’ve heard about what the fans like about players here and I feel like I can be that type of player. I am a hard worker, I have this creative side to me and I think I fit this Leeds recipe in a player. The way Jesse wants to play, I learned a lot about the system and flourished under that system, so I am really excited to get back into it again.” – Brenden Aaronson
More often than not, Jesse Marsch has gone 4-2-3-1 in the Premier League, which suggests Aaronson has been signed for the no. 10 role.
Aaronson typically plays on the wing for the USMNT but was deployed in a more central role against Morocco earlier this week, finding the net in a 3-0 win. His performance highlighted his versatility and ability to contribute defensively as much as in attack, and offered a glimpse into what we can expect to see at Leeds.
“I was impressed. I really was. I thought he gave us energy. He gave us bite. He won some good duels. To arrive in the penalty box like that on Christian’s [Pulisic] play that he ends scoring shows great effort and tenacity, so I think he did good.” – USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter
“Defensively for me, it’s about being physical and I’m going to continue to work on my physicality, you know, but I think I won a lot of challenges tonight. I think I did my job defensively and maybe it’s not winning challenges. Maybe it’s not doing that kind of thing but maybe it’s getting the shape defensively, not letting them go through you, not passing lanes.” – Brenden Aaronson
A more effective all-rounder than Rodrigo for the position in behind the striker then, perhaps?
If Leeds were to sell Raphinha this summer or have any other changes in attack, Aaronson could also be deployed on either flank considering how narrow Marsch sometimes uses his wingers. And it’s that versatility that should ensure he racks up plenty of minutes, probably from the off given that his physical traits should easily translate.
When up to speed Aaronson is likely to provide a decent number of assists, but there are still question marks over his possible goal return, given his attacking output to date.
He will also be part of a mid-priced midfield bracket stacked with Fantasy talent.
Naturally, he will need some bedding-in time, and the expectations of any player jumping from Austrian Bundesliga to Premier League level needs to be realistic, which does suggest that Aaronson is probably best summed up as a ‘wait and see’ in FPL.
1 year, 11 months ago
The next Pulisic