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Brenden Aaronson alludes to Leeds United chaos in 'stuff happens' verdict on 'tough' collapse to relegation last season
Brenden Aaronson “learned a lot” at Leeds United but claimed “stuff happens” after a strong start to the season ended in relegation and a loan exit.
Speaking to Pioneer Press (11 September) the US international bypassed suggestions that it is harder for Americans to be a success in the Premier League to say he “enjoyed [his] time” at Elland Road, but suggested there was a lot of upheaval at the club last term with “people that aren’t seeing things”.
The USMNT midfielder is now on loan at Union Berlin after exercising the relegation release clause in his contract this summer, with fellow Americans Jesse Marsch, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie also having left the club.
Aaronson was asked if there are different standards for American played in the UK and said: “No, I wouldn’t say it was a different standard. I don’t know how coaching was, but as a player, it was good. I enjoyed my time. I learned a lot.
“It was definitely ups and downs. The first half of the year was really a high, and I think we we’re playing really good football at the time.
“And then just the second part of the year, stuff happens. It was tough. A lot of things going on with the club, people that aren’t seeing things, so it’s tough.
“I learned a lot and it only made me grow as a player because a lot of players go through stuff like this and it only gets better from there.”
Nightmare
Aaronson in fairness has been pretty polite about what was a bin fire of a campaign at Elland Road, but he did play his part in that.
Arriving for almost £25million last summer [Sky Sports] the Whites would have hoped for a lot more from him, but after a strong start his form fell away.
While there might be something in the suggestion that Americans are held to different standards when it comes to managers in the Premier League, although whether Marsch is good enough is open to debate, there have been enough prominent players from the other side of the Atlantic for it to have been dispelled.
Aaronson’s 36 top flight appearances out of 38 last term, which were largely starts until Sam Allardyce arrived, when his return of one goal of three assists in that time didn’t support him being one of the first names on the team sheet, suggested he actually got a pretty easy ride.
To suggest “a lot of things [were] going on with the club” is an understatement when it comes to last season, with Angus Kinnear more or less confirming what most suspected to The Square Ball last week (7 September), and Andrea Radrizzani’s reaction providing more proof of the dysfunction.
And whether the 22-year-old’s “people that aren’t seeing things” comment suggests there was even more behind the scenes or that the chaos kept different areas of the club from being in alignment isn’t clear, but considering how things went it could just as easily mean either.
While Daniel Farke could use a number 10 right now Aaronson seems unlikely to be back at Elland Road in any meaningful way, so unless the Whites boss is particularly keen to give him another shot a permanent move is probably on the cards.
In other Leeds United news, a high-earner is likely to be leaving the club permanently sooner or later says Phil Hay.