Leeds United look set to lose Cody Drameh permanently in the summer once his loan spell at Luton Town comes to an end.
Leeds has prided itself on their investment in young signings since promotion to the Premier League, saving money on marquee arrivals in doing so.
However, it’s not a setup that has been perfect for Leeds, as Cody Drameh is not going to be the club’s long-term solution to the right-back position.
That’s according to the YEP, who report that Leeds is resigned to losing the defender in the summer after his loan spell at Luton comes to an end, with the Hatters chasing promotion to the Premier League.
Here, our writers Kris (FA5) and Adam (Statto) discuss whether Leeds is making a mistake in seeing Drameh leave this summer…
It’s hard to blame Drameh for wanting out, given that a number of his under-21 teammates have been given numerous opportunities, while he is stuck being shipped out on loan.
Drameh hasn’t exactly been kept at arm’s length by the quality of Leeds’ senior options in his position either, with both Luke Ayling and Rasmus Kristensen failing to showcase their superiority to the 21-year-old.
Obviously, throwing a young defender in at the deep end during the last two seasons of relegation scrapping is tough, but Joe Gelhardt shone through, and Drameh has the quality to make the grade in the Premier League, which he could well show next season.
This is the club’s key failing when it has come to blooding youth in the Premier League because Drameh can’t be doing much more than he already is to show that he is ready for that chance.
We’ve lost that luxury now, and the club needs to re-think the right-back position in the summer because the current options are not good enough.
This could be a major regret of the club, considering the weakness of the right-back position currently within Leeds’ first team.
Neither Luke Ayling nor Rasmus Kristensen has shined there, and Drameh ought to have been given a proper chance in the role despite not always impressing there in the past.
He’s had two seriously impressive loans with Cardiff and Luton now, and given his age you would expect him to improve further, too.
Adaptation to the Premier League can take time, and if he had been offered that, I imagine we would be looking at the club’s best right-back on their books.
Instead, the Whites stand to lose Drameh for a pittance, considering he is not wanted and is in the final year of his deal. Leeds will not even maximize the fee for a player who’s probably pound-for-pound the best right-back in the second tier at the moment.
It’s a dreadful situation, and one Leeds may come to regret further in years to come. The handling of his development and pathway into regular senior football has been very poor.
Drameh could well have made himself the starting right-back, irrespective of which division the club finds themselves in next season.
