Leeds United Sergino Dest and Calvin Ramsay chases send message to Cody Drameh and under-23s
Leeds United risk causing long-term damage to their squad by pursuing Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest and Aberdeen teen Calvin Ramsay.
TEAMtalk reported this week (25 May) that the club were targeting the American 21-year-old who is surplus to requirements at the Camp Nou, hot on the heels of completing the signing of USA teammate Brenden Aaronson.
This follows the news from Phil Hay in The Athletic that they are continuing to work on a deal for Dons right-back Calvin Ramsay.
And yet this is happening at the same time as current United youngster Cody Drameh is due to return to the club after an award-winning loan spell at Cardiff.
The 20-year-old was named the Bluebirds’ player of the season and young player of the season, despite only arriving in January (Wales Online).
After becoming frustrated with a lack of game time at Elland Road he pushed for a temporary exit against Marcelo Bielsa’s wishes.
He has since revealed the a negative reaction from some fans affected him mentally, but having backed himself to be worthy of regular starts, and delivered the goods, he isn’t ready to go back to a bit-part role (Wales Online).
Why should he?
With Stuart Dallas out for months as he recovers from a broken leg and Luke Ayling also undergoing surgery the club clearly needs someone else at the right-back spot.
Ayling is the incumbent starter and isn’t expected to miss the start of the season, but he is over 30 and his form was uneven during the nightmare campaign that just ended.
But why do the club need to look elsewhere when they have a viable option already in their hands?
After making five senior appearances in the first half of the season, Drameh went to Cardiff and played every game, evidently to a high standard.
His exit may have not made him popular, but it is difficult to argue that he proved himself right.
Clearly La Liga is a higher standard than the Championship, but Dest is not in Xavi’s plans so he can’t be flawless, and United bought the Catalans’ last spare full-back a year ago and Junior Firpo hasn’t so far worked out.
That in itself should be a warning to Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta, since the transfer policy is a large reason why last season was so bad.
The Scottish Premiership is more of a comparable level to the English second tier, so while both the mooted targets no doubt have quality, it seems like a pointed slap in the face to Drameh for him to have taken a big risk and delivered about as strongly as he could have, then found the club looking at players in his position of a similar age before he’s even got back.
The rest of the Leeds United under-23s, arguably still under-utilised since Jesse Marsch replaced Bielsa, won’t have missed that and will surely take note that if you aren’t in the club’s immediate plans there might be little you can do to change that.
A lack of development from the younger talents at Thorp Arch was cited as a contributing factor for the Argentine’s exit, yet Drameh appears to have proactively aided his own development and looks like seeing his chance handed to a rival to the tune of millions of pounds.
In other Leeds United news, a first-team star wants to stay but the club might struggle to pay him without the 49ers investment.