According to Graham Smyth, when Brenden Aaronson comes to Leeds United, he will be paid the reduced wage offered last summer.
The Yorkshire Evening Post journalist revealed on the Inside Elland Road podcast (13 June) that the American’s return from his loan at Union Berlin will be reduced due to the relegation clause in his contract.
Aaronson was one of several Whites players who departed on loan a year ago due to release clauses inserted into their contracts as a trade-off for a wage cut, but after an unproductive year in the Bundesliga, he will now play in the Championship under Daniel Farke next season.
Smyth said: “Right now, you’re not going to get £15 million for him, and I dare say you might not get £10 million for him right now, so selling makes no sense because you’d be booking a loss, and you can’t afford to book a loss after not making it to the Premier League.
“He’s also, and I’ve confirmed this, coming back is basically him taking the wage that was on offer last summer, the wage reduction that was built into his contract, so he’s certainly not getting paid anywhere near what he was paid as a Premier League player.”
Daniel Farke secures position for Leeds United’s comeback from Union Berlin.
Aaronson‘s return appears to be an admission from both the player and the club that the previous year did not go as planned, leaving them to make the most of a poor situation.
The USMNT international plainly believed that being in a European top flight would provide him with more opportunities than being in the second tier, and Leeds United acknowledged that letting him go would boost his transfer worth.
As things stand, neither has occurred, and with the Whites also failing in their primary goal of regaining promotion to the Premier League, there appears to be little other option than to try to get the most out of the 23-year-old on the pitch.
He’ll probably have to start producing swiftly to lure the fans back on board after it was widely assumed that those who left a year ago were fleeing a ship they helped destroy.
But Willy Gnonto‘s return to the fold under Farke after attempting to force a move to Everton demonstrated that it can be done.
There may not have been many options, but it demands some pragmatism on the part of both the management and the player, which is certainly laudable. However, none of that will matter if Aaronson cannot adjust to the second tier as well as he did to the English top flight.
He will have a second chance to impress with the team, and if he responds as Georginio Rutter did last season, things may go well.
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