George Overhill

Sat 18 November 2023 21:10, UK

Leeds United don’t expect either Max Wober or Brenden Aaronson to play for the club again although both are on loans without permanent options in their deals, according to Phil Hay.

Writing on The Athletic’s website on 17 November the journalist reported that the Austrian defender had “disappointed” the club in the summer by changing his stance on staying, and therefore “the nature of his sudden departure did not go down well at Elland Road”, so while discussions with Borussia Monchengladbach over a permanent clause aren’t thought to have been successful the club aren’t planning on having him back.

Similarly with Aaronson, there is no fee agreement contained in his loan deal with Union Berlin, and despite the American midfielder suggesting in an interview with The Athletic this month that he still loves the Whites and could come back, it is not thought to be a view reciprocated in West Yorkshire.

Wober cost Leeds £10million from Red Bull Salzburg last January, while Aaronson was a £25m purchase two summers ago from the Austrian giants.

Inglorious departures

While both the Whites loanees have headed to Germany to avoid playing in the Championship it is working out far better for Wober than it is Aaronson.

The defender’s Monchengladbach side are ninth in the Bundesliga table and six points off the European places, while the American’s Union team are rock bottom.

Given Wober was by far the cheaper signing at Elland Road last term, as well as having much more of a positive impact on the pitch, that is not the outcome that particularly suits Leeds United.

If neither are expected to play for the club again then it suggests that Wober will likely be picked up by his loan club for a reasonable fee despite the lack of option, as Hay reports they “seem happy with his form”.

However, the chances of Union, or anyone, stumping up any more for Aaronson than they would have done following Premier League relegation this summer seem remote, so the club are looking at a significant hit on his £25m fee.

For accounting purposes they won’t need to bank that much once two seasons of his fee have been amortised on the books, but whether they find a taker for even a reduced price is perhaps in doubt.

Daniel Farke could probably have found a use for Wober if he ended up back in England, pending a possible mending of fences over his exit, but Aaronson’s lack of suitability for either the Championship or the Premier League surely rules it out for him.

In other Leeds United news, Adam Pope is pleased by a “big thing” that Paraag Marathe has confirmed to have been done by the 49ers.