Cody Drameh must seize Leeds United opportunity in final pre-season tune-ups
One benefit of dropping down a division can be the emergence of talent deemed not quite Premier League standard, but ready for the Championship. Cody Drameh will hope to be the latest to capitalise on relegation at Leeds United and establish himself as a starter in the second tier next season.
Leeds start their campaign in just under two weeks and with their next batch of pre-season matches comes an opportunity for Drameh to prove his worth to new manager Daniel Farke and attempt to seize the starting right-back spot from the inconsistent Luke Ayling.
The final pre-season fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Hearts [LeedsLive] may be his final chance to earn himself a starting spot come the opening day of the Championship, and the 21-year-old will hope to be walking out of the Elland Road tunnel when Cardiff come to visit.
Ayling’s indifferent campaign last season in the Premier League strengthened Drameh’s chances of claiming this starting position. Last March, Sky Sports pundit Andy Walker accused Ayling of being ineffective, stating: “He’s been exposed too often. A real problem for Leeds.”
Even after the drop, Leeds fans may feel safer with Ayling himself relegated to a bench role.
Meanwhile, Farke is undergoing significant personnel change during the off-season, not least in defence with Ethan Ampadu arriving from Chelsea and Milan van Ewijk being linked from Eredivisie side Heerenveen [Sander de Vries].
With anyone seemingly on the chopping block amid the Farke rebuild, and further additions likely, Drameh will need to do a lot. But his successful loan spell with promoted Luton Town last season was a big step in proving his ability in the Championship.
What Drameh is adept at is, usefully, defending. His 3.48 tackles per 90 (97th percentile) and 2.02 blocks per 90 (99th percentile) [stats courtesy of FBRef] show that he is capable of ensuring clean sheets and making life tough for oncoming attackers.
However, for a side of Leeds’ stature, this feels like a minimum expectation. So what does Drameh have that could see him become a starter? He will need to fit Farke’s system of fast buildup play, creating intelligent passes and staying positionally structured.
Drameh ticks these boxes too, with 3.62 shot-creating actions per 90 (96th percentile) and 1.25 successful take-ons per 90 (88th percentile) showing that he has the creativity to bring something to a Farke side rather than solely maintain a strong defence.
Additionally, Drameh makes only 2.09 progressive carries per 90 (58th percentile), which emphasises his ability to be creative and influential in deeper positions to maintain the team’s structure.
The eye test also reveals Drameh to be an aggressive and determined defender who is very capable under pressure and can protect the ball in tight areas to keep possession, which is another big Farke tick.
Should the links with highly-rated van Ewijk come to fruition, Drameh will have a quality challenger to the starting spot, so will need to act quickly to impress Farke.
That being said, Drameh is in pole position should he perform well over the next fortnight.
In other Leeds United news, centre-back Max Wober is locked in talks with a Bundesliga switch after missing a pre-season clash.