Leeds United bounced back to winning ways in the Championship with a 2-0 win over Cardiff City in Wales on Saturday, having lost to Burnley the previous weekend.
The Whites secured all three points, thanks to goals from Largie Ramazani and Joel Piroe, and have now lost just once in their opening six matches in the division.
One of the stars of the season so far has been a surprising one as Brenden Aaronson has returned to Elland Road and emerged as a regular starter in the number ten role, following on from Georginio Rutter’s move to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The USA international provided the assist for Piroe’s goal on Saturday, threading a pass through to the Dutchman, and has produced two goals and two ‘big chances’ created in four league starts so far this term.
Aaronson, who spent last season on loan with Union Berlin in Germany, is looking to reignite his career in England after a dismal debut season at Elland Road following on from his move to the club in the summer of 2022.
Brenden Aaronson’s Leeds nightmare
Former Whites head coach Jesse Marsch swooped to sign the young talent from his former club, RB Salzburg, for a reported fee of £24.7m ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
The step up to the Premier League, having played in the Austrian Bundesliga the previous season, ended up being too much of a jump for the American prospect.
Aaronson did make an impressive start to life at Elland Road, with a goal against Chelsea in his third Premier League outing, but it did not last.
His strike against the Blues ended up being his only goal of the season, in 36 attempts, from an xG tally of 3.86, which suggests that he was incredibly wasteful with the chances that did come his way.
The right-footed lightweight also found the physicality of the Premier League too much to handle. He lost 57% of his ground duels and a whopping 83% of his aerial contests, as opposition defenders found it far too easy to get the better of him.
At the end of the season, Sofascore revealed the ‘worst Team of the Season‘, based on their player ratings, and Aaronson had the lowest rating in the entire side – 6.51 – and this meant that he was the lowest rated player in the division that term.
This shows that former Leeds sporting director Victor Orta and Marsch had a nightmare with the signing of the USA international, as he arrived for a significant fee – of £24.7m – and failed to make a positive impact in the Premier League.
The Whites were relegated from the top-flight that term and they could have had a better chance of avoiding the drop if they had spent that money elsewhere.
With this in mind, it is interesting to look back at the player they were reportedly interested in signing for that attacking midfield berth before they landed the Salzburg star.
Leeds’ interest in Charles De Ketelaere
It was reported that Leeds and AC Milan battled throughout the summer in an attempt to secure a deal for Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge in the summer of 2022, after the impressive starlet had scored 14 goals in 33 Pro League games in the 2021/22 campaign.
The Whites reportedly offered more money than the Italian giants as an overall package but the structure of the deal was not in line with what the Belgian side wanted, which allowed Milan to eventually swoop in and secure his services for a fee of £29m.
After the move had gone through, his agent – Tom De Mul – confirmed that Leeds put the best offer on the table, financially, but that his client had decided that he wanted to move to Milan.
De Mul also revealed, interestingly, that West Ham United, Arsenal, and Newcastle United had also been tracking the 21-year-old starlet but had not made any concrete moves for him.
This shows that there was plenty of interest in the Belgian wizard and that it was always going to be difficult for Leeds to secure his services, as they eventually lost the race to Milan.
There may, however, be conflicting feelings over the club’s failure to sign him from Club Brugge based on his journey over the last two-and-a-bit-years.
Charles De Ketelaere’s current market value
At the time of writing (23/09/2024), Transfermarkt has his market value at €34m (£29m) and this means that his value has not dropped from the £29m that Milan paid for him in 2022.
Whereas, Aaronson is currently valued at just €12m (£10m) and that is a significant fall from the £24.7m that Leeds splashed out on his services.
This suggests, on paper at least, that de Ketelaere would have been a much better signing than Aaronson from a financial perspective, as he has held his value rather than seeing it plummet, whilst both players are still 23 and have time to develop further.
However, it is worth noting that the Belgium international endured a difficult first season with Milan – producing zero goals and one assist in 32 Serie A outings – before thriving elsewhere.
He spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Atalanta before signing with the Serie A side permanently this summer, and has been in impressive form over the past 13 months with his new club.
De Ketelaere has racked up 15 goals and 12 assists in 56 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta, which shows that he can provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
|
23/24 Serie A |
Charles De Ketelaere |
|---|---|
|
Starts |
25 |
|
Goals |
10 |
|
Big chances created |
11 |
|
Assists |
8 |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
1.1 |
As you can see in the table above, the Belgian wizard was impressive in the Serie A during the 2023/24 campaign, with 22 goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in 25 starts.
The eye-catching “jewel” – as he was described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – has found his feet in Italy, after a difficult first year with Milan, and has thrived with Atalanta, which has helped his market value to remain at £29m.
His form over the last year or so and his current market value may make Leeds rue missing out on him, as Aaronson’s career has yet to fully reignite since his early struggles at Elland Road.
