How Brenden Aaronson can win over Leeds United fans

The redemption arc went perfectly for Brenden Aaronson.

The United States international was through on goal with only Will Norris to beat, with 96 minutes remaining and the score at 3-3, and Aaronson was on the verge of revenge. Instead, and inexplicably to the groaning Elland Road crowd, he fired his shot wide as the opening game of the season against Portsmouth ended in a draw.

It seemed an easier opportunity to capitalize on than the ones he had managed to score at times earlier — well received with a deft bit of footwork and an angular finish from a tricky spot at the top of the penalty area. As important as it was, that one goal wasn’t enough to get the 23-year-old back into the fans’ good graces. It was a start, at least — if only it hadn’t been followed by that miss.

For those unfamiliar with their literary devices, a redemptive arc is when a character who has been selfish or villainous makes amends for their mistakes. Often this is an act of heroism (such as scoring a last-minute winner) or an act of selfless sacrifice. For Leeds fans, there are two villains in Daniel Farke’s team: Aaronson and Max Wober. This has been emphasised by regular boos from the crowd. The question remains how, or even if, they can shake off that status.

This is not an unwarranted punishment. Aaronson and Wober committed unpopular (some would say selfish) acts by triggering relegation clauses that saw them leave ‘French’ Elland Road rather than stay to challenge for the Championship. It was their right, along with a handful of other players including Marc Roca, Jack Harrison and Rasmus Kristensen, under their contracts.

Aaronson celebrates his goal on the opening day of the season – before he missed his goal (Gary Oakley/Getty Images)

What never seemed likely was that one of the loaned crew would have to return each week and face the wrath of Leeds fans. Most have not. But against all odds, Aaronson and Wober are back.

Wober could still find a way out of Leeds this window, although it is unlikely he has added to his list of interested clubs after a shaky performance against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup last week. Aaronson, however, is committed to the cause after positive talks with Farke and returned to the fold after returning from Union Berlin in the summer. Despite the boos when his name was announced over the PA at Elland Road, he is determined to prove he can make it in English football.

History shows us that it is possible. Many players fall out of favour at their clubs and while it is difficult to turn the tide, it is possible. Newcastle United midfielder Joelinton is a recent example, as is former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka. Although Joelinton felt the weight of his £40 million ($52 million at current rates) price tag – an interesting parallel with Aaronson’s own £25 million transfer fee in May 2022 – and was booed when he played for Newcastle in a cup tie against Rochdale in 2020, he is now a fan favourite.

The arrival of Eddie Howe as manager and a change of position helped, as did a willingness to put in the effort.

“It was a tough time, but I didn’t stop doing the things I had to do – working hard in training, trying to learn and improve every day,” Joelinton told i newspaper in March 2022. “I never stopped smiling, even when things weren’t going well,” he said. “There are people with more serious problems than me.”

Aaronson has a new manager and a drive to work hard as he tries to win back fans. Like Joelinton, who worked with a personal analyst to improve his tactical awareness, he has sought outside help from a nutritionist who helped him build muscle while playing in Germany.

The improvement in performance as a result of working with a new manager also worked for Xhaka at Arsenal, with him gesturing at fans as they booed him when he was substituted in a match against Crystal Palace in 2019.

“To this day I can’t really say what happened to me (at) that moment,” he said The Athletics in December 2023. “It’s part of sports. Sometimes you’re good, sometimes you’re bad. But for my family in the stands, it was a slap in the face. It hurt me more because it hurt them so much.

“I will never forget how bad my parents felt, how my wife felt. I was convinced that I would survive it all, but for my parents and my wife it was hell. My agent was also on the ground. We were supposed to meet with the club two days later about a new contract. That never happened.”

Although Xhaka wanted to leave in the January transfer window, two meetings with new Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay.

Aaronson spent last season on loan at Union Berlin (Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

“It was like playing for Arsenal for the first time,” he said of his return to the first team after a brief hiatus in which he was stripped of the captaincy. “I’ll never forget one of my team-mates coming up to me before kick-off and saying, ‘No matter what happens, I’m behind you’. It was a new chapter, a new beginning for me. Mikel picked me up and brought me back to the level I always knew I could play at. He was sure of my quality and he didn’t care what anyone else said.”

After a year away from Elland Road, Aaronson will have experienced similar emotions on his return to a club where he felt he had unfinished business. He returned to Leeds a different player to the one who left a year ago in a summer of turmoil and with the benefit of working with Farke, who has shown he can get the best out of players who had been written off at the club before he arrived.

One of the players United will miss most this season, Georginio Rutter, was among them. His departure means Aaronson has a greater chance of breaking into the starting XI at No. 10. Joel Piroe is the other main contender for that role.

Aaronson knows what state he needs to be in to thrive, as he explained in an interview with The Athletics november 2023.

“You are think “all the time,” he said of playing in difficult periods of form when Leeds were relegated from the Premier League in 2023. “You’re not just now playing. I play best when I’m enjoying the game and in a flow state. There’s no thinking, there’s just playing and just doing what I feel and that creative side comes out when I’m in the flow.”

The early signs of this season, particularly the miss against Portsmouth, show that there are times when Aaronson is thinking more than playing without pressure. If he finds himself in a hostile atmosphere, that is inevitably more likely, but he has Farke’s support and a burning desire to put things right to drive him on.

Time will tell whether that is enough to exonerate the Leeds fans.

(Top photo: Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)