Aaronson upgrade: Ex-scout backs Leeds to sign "unplayable" attacker
Leeds United return to action in the Premier League this weekend after the international break with a clash against Aston Villa at Elland Road on Sunday.
The Whites have lost their last two matches in the top-flight, conceding six goals in the process, and their most recent outing was a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest before the break.
Whilst this shows that there needs to be improvement on the defensive side of the game, Daniel Farke also needs to find a way to get more out of his players at the top end of the pitch.
The Championship champions have only scored 11 goals in their 11 Premier League games so far this season, with several members of the squad underperforming in front of goal.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
2.89
1
-1.89
Jayden Bogle
0.88
0
-0.88
Brenden Aaronson
1.79
1
-0.79
Joel Piroe
0.73
0
-0.73
Pascal Struijk
0.65
0
-0.65
Dan James
0.47
0
-0.47
Jack Harrison
0.41
0
-0.41
As you can see in the table above, too many of the team’s top attackers have underperformed against their xG in the top-flight, which shows that Farke does not have many reliable finishers.
With the January transfer window around five weeks away from opening for business, the Whites may already be starting to think about what they could do to improve their attack.
Why Leeds need to sign a winger in January
The West Yorkshire-based outfit need to go out and sign another wide option in the January window to bolster their options on the flank, because they have not had enough productivity in those positions this season.
As aforementioned, the Whites have only scored 11 times in 11 Premier League games, which shows that goalscoring is a clear area for improvement, and their lack of goals from wide players has been one of the causes of that particular struggle.
Noah Okafor
8
2 + 0
Brenden Aaronson
11
1 + 1
Dan James
8
0 + 0
Jack Harrison
10
0 + 0
Wilfried Gnonto
4
0 + 0
As you can see in the table above, Noah Okafor is the only winger in the squad who has scored more than one league goal for the club this season, despite December being just over a week away.
The Switzerland international, who scored goals against Wolves and Spurs, has been the only wide attacker who has carried a fairly consistent threat at the top end of the pitch.
Farke will surely be frustrated with the lack of output from the majority of his wide options, which is why the club need to go out and splash the cash on a new option in those two positions at the turn of the year.
Leeds backed to sign Premier League forward
On that very topic, a former scout has backed the Premier League strugglers to sign one of their former players when the January transfer window opens for business.
Former Tottenham scout Bryan King has suggested that a move to Elland Road could be on the cards for Manor Solomon if Spurs decide to recall him from his loan spell with Villarreal.
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Speaking to MOTLeedsNews, King said: “If he (Solomon) isn’t going to stay at Villarreal, then I could certainly see him being sold in January. He definitely won’t get a game for Tottenham, there’s three or four people in front of him in his position.
“He did well at Leeds; he was a key part of their team that got promoted. I would have thought he’d be a very good option for Leeds. They haven’t exactly set the Premier League alight, and it looks as though they need more options.”
If Solomon, who has only started one LaLiga match with Villarreal, does get recalled in January, Leeds should pursue a deal to bring the forward back to West Yorkshire.
Why Leeds should sign Manor Solomon
The Whites should push to land another deal for the Israel international because he could arrive at Elland Road in the winter window as a huge upgrade on Brenden Aaronson.
As aforementioned, the USA international has produced one goal and one assist in the Premier League so far this season, as the first-choice right wing option, due to the change in formation that took away his favoured number ten role.
Solomon, meanwhile, has one goal and one assist in LaLiga, despite playing just four matches, and delivered three assists in his one appearance in the Copa del Rey, per Sofascore.
On top of providing more quality for Villarreal than Aaronson has for Leeds in all competitions this season, the right-footed winger also outperformed the American in the Championship last season.
The former Fulham attacker, of course, spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Elland Road from Spurs and caught the eye with his consistent performances at the top end of the pitch.
Appearances
46
39
xG
11.43
8.15
Goals
9
10
Minutes per goal
396
261
Big chances created
9
21
Key passes per game
1.6
1.7
xA
6.05
10.30
Assists
2
12
As you can see in the table above, the Spurs loanee offered significantly more to the team at the top end of the pitch than Aaronson did in the second tier last term, with more goals from less xG and more than twice as many ‘big chances’ created.
Solomon, who was hailed by former Leeds boss Neil Redfearn for being an “unplayable” star who is “like tackling smoke” for defenders, has proven that he can excel in front of goal in a Farke team, even more so than the USA international.
The Villarreal forward also has experience in the Premier League, with Fulham and Spurs, which means that it would not be a culture shock for him to be thrown into the division in the second half of the campaign.
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Therefore, Leeds should explore the possibility of a reunion with Solomon because he could be an ideal signing to upgrade on Aaronson on the wing in the January window.