Farke must drop "anonymous" £45k-p/w Leeds flop to unleash Dan James
da betobet： Today is the day that Leeds United could officially secure their promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking in the Championship.
da stake casino： The Whites play host to Stoke City at Elland Road in a 3 pm kick-off this afternoon, knowing that if they win and Sheffield United fail to beat Burnley in their 5:30 pm kick-off, they will be promoted.
Despite beating Oxford United 1-0 last time out in the Championship, Daniel Farke could look to make some changes to his starting line-up to keep the team fresh, after only two days of recovery, and Dan James is a star who should come back in.
Why Dan James should start for Leeds
The Wales international missed the 2-1 win over Preston North End with an injury and returned to play a part off the bench in the clash with Oxford on Friday.
After his cameo at the Kassam, James should now be put back into the starting line-up against Stoke this afternoon, just days after he was named as one of the finalists in the race to win the Championship Player of the Season award.
The former Manchester United winger has scored 12 goals, created 16 ‘big chances’, and delivered nine assists in 30 starts in the second tier this term, which shows that he has made a big impact in the final third on a regular basis.
Leeds know that today could be the day that they seal promotion, if they beat Stoke, and they need their best players on the pitch in order to have the best chance of success.
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With this in mind, Farke must bring the influential star back into the team by ruthlessly ditching Brenden Aaronson from the side that started on Friday.
Why Brenden Aaronson should be dropped
The USA international played 89 minutes against Oxford and failed to offer much in front of goal, as he missed one ‘big chance’, lost possession 15 times, and failed to create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates.
Aaronson was described as “anonymous” by reporter James Marshment back in February, and that assessment still rings true, as it was his 12th game without a goal or an assist in his last 13 appearances in all competitions.
The £45k-per-week flop has produced two goals and zero assists in 19 matches in 2025, with one of those goals coming in the 7-0 win over Cardiff, which illustrates how ineffective he has been in the final third.
24/25 Championship
Brenden Aaronson
Wilfried Gnonto
Appearances (starts)
43 (40)
40 (23)
xG
10.24
5.50
Goals
9
6
Minutes per goal
368
345
Big chances created
8
9
Assists
2
5
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Wilfried Gnonto has been more effective as a finisher whilst also providing more creativity despite starting 17 fewer games than the American dud.
This suggests that Farke should keep the Italy U21 international in the team, moving him into the number ten role, and drop Aaronson from the side in order to start James on the right wing.
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This would mean that Leeds would have an attacking midfield trident of James, Gnonto, and Manor Solomon behind either Joel Piroe or Patrick Bamford in the centre-forward position.