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Leeds transfer headache avoided as key stat shows Cody Drameh can stake his claim
Leeds United could avoid a transfer headache this summer after Cody Drameh’s excellent start to life at Birmingham City.
The 21-year-old looked to be eyeing a spot in Daniel Farke’s Leeds side this season, but then-Birmingham boss John Eustace snapped the England youth star up on a season long loan to St Andrew’s on deadline day.
While Farke may not have seen him as part of his plans this season after some tough opening fixtures in Leeds white earlier this season, Drameh has settled to life with the Blues, and a key stats could suggest that an impending transfer headache could already be solved.
Per Between The Lines, Drameh has the highest tackle success rate of any Championship defender with 100 per cent, 11.1 per cent higher than second place Dion Sanderson and above Leeds’ Pascal Struijk and Ethan Ampadu.
With Luke Ayling’s contract set to expire at the end of this season, Djed Spence’s temporary stay at Elland Road and Stuart Dallas’ age, Leeds will soon have a right-back problem that will need to be addressed in an upcoming transfer window.
However, this headache could be avoided of Drameh keeps up his form, and early indications suggest they will. He is performing in a well-coached Birmingham side. While Wayne Rooney’s recent arrival at the club could change the course of their season, they currently sit just one point below Leeds with 18 points.
Drameh’s excellence at Birmingham doesn’t end there. Per FBRef, he has the most tackles in the Blues squad (22), the joint highest tackle success rate in the squad, the fifth most touches, and two assists to his name. While it can be easy for fans to get away with themselves, he is performing to a good standard consistently.
That being said, he has played just seven 90s of football so far this season, but has started the last seven fixtures for his loan club. Leeds have invested heavily this summer, but were likely aware of the impending issue at right-back.
Should promotion prove a reality, they may opt for a Premier League proven option rather than Drameh, but even so he is making an excellent case for himself as a backup.
However, if Leeds remain in the Championship after Farke’s debut Elland Road campaign, he may have an experienced by young option at his disposal already.
In other Leeds United news, Farke and Leeds are trying to prove the you can win things with kids as a stat emerges.