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Worse than Aaronson v Brentford: Leeds outcast must be sold this week

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Published Aug 30, 2026, 7:10 PM GMT+1

Daniel is an experienced football writer and editor with more than a decade of experience covering the professional game, specialising in the Championship, Football League and Scottish football, alongside in-depth coverage of Norwich City, Celtic and Rangers.

A journalist since 2015, Daniel began his career writing for Fresh Press before progressing into a full-time writing and editing role, producing club-focused coverage for Read Norwich, Read Celtic, Read Liverpool and Read Arsenal. He later spent almost a year with Liverpool-based outlet Anfield Watch, where his work included conducting and transcribing interviews with figures including Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa and journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Daniel has worked with Snack Media (now Valnet) since 2021, contributing to Football FanCast as both a writer and editor. His work focuses particularly on player analysis, transfer insight and original football features, combining detailed knowledge of the game with research-driven assessment of players, clubs and potential moves.

His specialist knowledge of Norwich City and the Football League has also seen him contribute to BBC Norfolk and assist DAZN with research for commentary broadcasts. As a Norwich City season-ticket holder, Daniel brings a level of first-hand knowledge of the club and its players that complements his wider expertise across the Championship and EFL. His Norwich coverage has also featured in publications including the Coventry Telegraph and Liverpool Echo.

Alongside his Football League expertise, Daniel has covered Celtic and Rangers extensively, developing a strong understanding of Scottish football. His work gives readers informed transfer assessment, detailed player analysis and authoritative insight into clubs and competitions he has spent years following and reporting on.

Leeds United continued their unbeaten start to the 2026/27 campaign with a 1-1 draw against Brentford at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.

A late goal from Dominic Calvert-Lewin ensured that the Whites came away with a point from the match, after Kevin Schade had given the hosts the lead in the opening 45.

calvert-lewin-leeds-premier-league-brentford

It looked like it was going to be an incredibly long afternoon for Daniel Farke's side in the first-half, as the Bees were completely dominant, but changes by the manager at the break helped to turn the tide.

One of the moves that the German head coach made was to substitute attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson, who did not enjoy a particularly busy 45 minutes.

How Daniel Farke got it wrong for Leeds in the first half

Brentford lined up with a traditional 4-2-3-1 shape under Keith Andrews and Farke went with his usual 3-4-2-1, which left the home side exposed in midfield.

The Bees had Mamadou Sangare, Vitaly Janelt, and Mikkel Damsgaard as a three against Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach, and that allowed them to dominate and control the opening 45 with overloads in central areas.

That meant that the two wide players, Noah Okafor and Aaronson, were left isolated because Leeds were pinned back and could not get bodies up to support the front three when they could get the ball forward.

Vs Brentford

Brenden Aaronson

Minutes	45
Touches	13
Shots
Key passes
Successful dribbles	0/2
Ground duels won	2/6
Aerial duels won	0/1

The USA international came off the pitch without a shot or key pass to show for his efforts, but that was because he was in a system that was exposed by Brentford's tactics.

Farke got his tactics wrong, as the difference in set-ups allowed Brentford far too much control, and that is why he had to take Aaronson and Jaka Bijol off at half-time to move to a 4-3-3 formation to solidify the midfield.

The Leeds forward who was even worse than Brenden Aaronson

Ultimately, the American attacking midfielder was not put in a position to succeed because of the tactics, which is why he should not take too much blame for his lack of impact on the match.

However, another one of the club's forwards should be open to criticism. Daniel James was brought on to replace Jayden Bogle at right wing-back with 22 minutes left and wasted several presentable opportunities.

The Welsh speedster has pace to burn and can look like an exciting player when he bursts forward, but that excitement too often turns to frustration when he has to pass, cross, or shoot at the end of the run.

Whilst Lukas Nmecha, who came on at the same time as James, made a significant impact with his touch and cross for Calvert-Lewin's equaliser, the former Manchester United attacker did not have as much luck.

The Wales international came into the match when the game was stretched and becoming end-to-end, which meant that there was far more space for him to attack and utilise than Aaronson had.

Despite being given the ball in plenty of dangerous areas throughout his 22 minutes on the pitch, the winger came off the field with as many shots on target and key passes as the American managed, zero.

Vs Brentford

Dan James

Minutes	22
Possession lost	5x
Shots	4
Shots on target
Successful crosses	0/2
Key passes
Big chances created
xA	0.01

James, who lost possession every 4.4 minutes on average, failed to register a single shot on target from four efforts on goal, as he blazed two efforts off target and saw two shots blocked.

The one promising chance that he had to send a cross to Calvert-Lewin and Nmecha waiting at the back post, he attempted to drill a low shot through multiple bodies and saw it instantly blocked.

Despite scoring against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup earlier in the week, James should now be sold by Leeds before the end of the summer transfer window on Tuesday.

Since the start of the 2025/26 campaign, the 28-year-old attacker has not registered a single goal or assist in 20 appearances in the Premier League for the Whites, and his below-par end product against Brentford explained why that is the case.

Unfortunately, the Welsh winger does not look up to the level of the Premier League when it comes to scoring and creating goals, which is why he should be sold, or loaned out at the minimum, before the deadline.

Farke should, then, hope to bring in an upgrade on the forward before the window slams shut, and reported target Mykhailo Mudryk could be just the ticket.

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