Leeds United have been after Brenden Aaronson for years – Phil Hay
The history of Leeds United’s pursuit of Brenden Aaronson goes back years to his youth team performances in the US report Phil Hay in The Athletic.
The chase came to the fore last month with two transfer bids being rejected by the midfielder’s current side Red Bull Salzburg, but Elland Road scouts have apparently been watching him since his formative days before he even moved to Austria.
Writing in The Athletic, Hay says: “Sources at Leeds say he was someone tracked first by their emerging-talent team – the scouts who focus on age groups below proven first-team ranks – who stayed on the radar as he established himself as first-team ready for teams outside America.”
There is some confidence that this years-long endeavour should come to fruition in the summer, as the reluctance to move mid-season was heavily influenced by the Austrian champions’ historic Champions League knock-out tie against Bayern Munich this month.
Work behind the scenes
Most fans and journalists are aware that there is a scouting process that precedes new players arriving in the Premier League.
But it is not always apparent quite how long that process can be, especially for English sides who have the financial might to cherry-pick ready made talent.
But competition is so high and margins are so fine that the tentacles of many clubs reach far and wide, and the steps that lead to them eventually pulling the trigger on a big money deal go back a long way.
Certain transfers scream of a lack of preparation when the player subsequently does not fit and disappears down the pecking order, think Danny Drinkwater or Donny van de Beek.
But Leeds are not a club that can be accused of deviating from the process, as evidenced by their refusal to entertain alternatives in the window.
They have had their eye on their man for so long because they are certain that he fits into the way they play, and if he eventually does arrive at Elland Road fans will hope that means he hits the ground running.
In other Leeds United news, the Red Bull Salzburg sporting director has shared his reasons for rejecting the transfer in January.