Leeds United scraped Premier League survival last season after an emphatic return to the top flight in the 2020/21 campaign.
After appointing Jesse Marsch for that crucial culminating period, Premier League status was preserved and there was cautious optimism that a more comfortable rise would be forthcoming, but the present campaign has been anything but.
Languishing in 18th place with just two matches left to play, the Whites are in a perilous position and must prepare to craft a successful team once more this summer, irrespective of the final league table.
While there will undoubtedly be movement on the transfer front, Leeds chairperson Andrea Radrizzani does not need to look any further than the club’s books when considering the successor to the right-back throne, an area which has been highlighted as flimsy this season amid United’s defensive issues.
Who is Cody Drameh?
Leeds full-back Cody Drameh was signed from Fulham as an 18-year-old in 2020 for an undisclosed fee, though he has only made eight appearances for the senior side after a series of loan spells.
This season, the 21-year-old did start against Brentford in the early stage of the season but failed to grasp his opportunity and was part of a defence that shipped five goals in a chastening defeat. Even so, the player’s 6.4 rating, as per Sofascore, was a level above that of his positional peers.
Joining Luton Town on loan in January after failing to wedge his way into Leeds’ seasonal plans, Drameh has expunged any doubts over his skill set by playing an integral part in the Hatters’ promotion-chasing campaign.
His Sofascore rating of 7.09 illustrates just how important he has been, registering two assists from 16 outings and averaging 1.6 key passes, 3.1 tackles and 2.1 clearances, also succeeding with 56% of his ground duels.
Could Drameh succeed at Leeds?
Amid Luton’s chase of promotion to the Premier League after a wonderful campaign, currently 2-1 down to Sunderland after the first leg of the play-off semi-finals, Drameh’s ability is clear for all to see.
Rob Edwards’ side finished the season in third place with 80 points and boasted the division’s second-meanest defence, behind only the imperious champions Burnley in goals conceded.
He has been hailed for his relentless energy down the right flank by former boss Steve Morison during his loan stint with Cardiff City, who said: “He is like a Duracell Bunny, isn’t he? He just keeps going and going.”
While Leeds boast the likes of Rasmus Kristensen and Luke Ayling, who scored against Newcastle United yesterday, the youthful exuberance of the Luton loanee could go a long way toward cementing Leeds’ robustness down the right.
With his dynamic capabilities, he could even emulate the success of Chelsea phenom Reece James, who has emerged as one of the best right-backs in the world over the past several years and been described as “unbelievable” by teammate Trevor Chalobah.
Like Drameh, the £250k-per-week Blue takes a high-octane approach to his craft, ranking among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries and 5% for successful take-ons, as per FBref, illustrating his marauding presence up and down the pitch.
Wherever the club end up following the conclusion of the present term, the increments that Drameh, who was also dubbed “outstanding” by Morison, has been steadily making to his game now leave him in good stead to grasp the reins and lead the way as a first-rate marauder for his outfit.
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