Cody Drameh of Leeds United is garnering a lot of attention this summer, with Burnley and Luton Town both interested in the 21-year-old.
Drameh has just returned from a fantastic loan spell with Luton Town, where he helped Rob Edwards earn promotion via the play-offs as a right wing-back.
It is his second loan stay away from Elland Road since arriving from Fulham on a permanent basis. The defender spent the previous season on loan at Cardiff City, when he also won the club’s player of the season title despite only joining the club in January.
The right-back was an important element in Edwards’ promotion strategy, appearing 19 times for the Hatters and recording two assists and ten clean sheets.
They finished third in the second division, narrowly missing out on a play-off spot after coming close to catching Sheffield United at several occasions.
They went on to beat Coventry City on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Wembley, and are obviously eager to bring Drameh back into the fold.
However, there is interest from other Premier League clubs, with Brentford and Burnley all rumoured to be interested in the defender.
Drameh is in the final year of his contract at Elland Road, but according to Phil Hay of The Athletic, Leeds are keen to include him in their plans as well. He wrote: “Giving Drameh a proper go as Leeds’ right-back next season is a no-brainer.” While on loan at Luton Town, the 21-year-old was promoted to the Premier League and is easily good enough for the Championship.
“But he has been unhappy with his lack of opportunities at Elland Road, and with only a year left on his contract, Leeds would have to persuade him that his involvement next season would be meaningful.”
Leeds should do everything they can to keep Drameh in the first squad next season, including offering him a new contract.
Leeds have enough work to do without having to consider purchasing a new right-back. Keeping Drameh is a no-brainer. If he is told he is first choice, he is likely to stay and battle at the top of the Championship.
Drameh would very probably be considered the backup option for Brentford and Burnley in especially. He may be a starter for Luton Town, where he knows he is comfortable and welcome, but the club’s chances of staying up will undoubtedly be on his mind.
Leeds United are about to lose Rasmus Kristensen, according to Fabrizio Romano, who reports that the 25-year-old has signed personal terms with AS Roma and that a deal with the Serie A club is in the works.
Luke Ayling will be 32 this summer and should be considered a squad player to cover both right-back and right-sided center-back, allowing Drameh to take over the position.
He’s shown he can play at a high level in the Championship, and he’s only 21 years old, so he has plenty of time to improve even more. It makes perfect sense for the Whites to put all of their eggs in one basket to develop him.
The West Yorkshire club could be looking to strengthen their first-team squad in a variety of areas, and having right-back crossed off as ready to go would be the prudent thing to do; maintaining Drameh is a must, regardless of who takes over as manager of Leeds.
Leave a Reply