Daniel is an experienced football journalist and editor at Football FanCast with over a decade of experience covering the EFL, Scottish football and the wider professional game. Since beginning his career in 2015, he has developed extensive expertise in data-led analysis and original football features.  

Daniel began his career at Fresh Press before writing and editing for publications including Read Norwich, Read Celtic and Anfield Watch. Throughout his career, he has interviewed football figures including Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former striker Adebayo Akinfenwa and journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Since joining Football FanCast, Daniel has contributed as both a writer and editor. His specialist knowledge has also seen him contribute to BBC Norfolk and assist DAZN with commentary research. A Norwich City season-ticket holder, he combines professional reporting experience with first-hand knowledge of the English and Scottish games.

Leeds United have one game left to avoid going into the November international break off the back of a run of six matches without a win in the Premier League.

The Whites have not picked up three points since they beat Newcastle United at Elland Road in the middle of September, before the previous international break.

They have also failed to score in three of the five games that they have failed to win in recent weeks, as Daniel Farke's side have struggled badly at the top end of the pitch.

The club's attacking players, aside from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, have not stepped up in the league, and one of the players who has underperformed has been Brenden Aaronson.

How Brenden Aaronson has regressed in the Premier League

The USA international made a strong start to the 2025/26 campaign in the Premier League when he scored four goals and provided three assists by the end of January.

Unfortunately, though, the attacking midfielder was unable to maintain that form at the top end of the pitch and has not scored a single Premier League goal since his brace against Newcastle United in January.

The 26-year-old forward has gone 25 league games without a goal since those strikes against the Magpies, including eight games without a goal in the current campaign.

He has also only assisted two goals in his last 25 matches in the Premier League for the Whites, and has yet to create a 'big chance' for his teammates this term.

Aaronson's offensive and defensive numbers are down across the board in comparison to last season, which shows that he has regressed and now looks like a completely ineffective performer.

Worse than Aaronson: Leeds star should be sold in January

The USMNT star is not the only player who has regressed during their time at Elland Road, though, as one of his teammates has been even worse than him.

In the summer of 2025, the Whites added some Premier League experience to their squad by paying £12m to sign Newcastle United central midfielder Sean Longstaff.

It looked like Leeds had hit the jackpot after he scored one goal and provided two assists in his first seven starts for the club in the league, as he provided impressive creativity on the ball.

Unfortunately, much like Aaronson, that form was just a flash in the pan, and he soon found himself out of the picture at Elland Road, as his last league start in the 2025/26 campaign came in November.

The English midfielder has not had any better luck in the current campaign. After nine matches played in the Premier League, Longstaff has played 45 minutes of football.

He has been an unused substitute on four occasions and has come off the bench five times with an average of nine minutes played per appearance.

Longstaff has been even worse than Aaronson, who has offered more to the team on and off the ball, and his performance against Bournemouth off the bench was evidence of that.

In 25 minutes on the pitch, the Englishman lost 100% (4/4) of his ground duels, was dribbled past three times, lost possession six times, and lost the ball for Amine Adli's goal in stoppage time.

It was a dismal cameo from the former Newcastle man, as he struggled badly on and off the ball, and Leeds must consider cashing in on him in the January transfer window.

Longstaff is on £90k-per-week wages, which equates to roughly £4.68m-per-season. This means that the Whites have already sunk £16m and counting into the central midfielder, yet they are not getting enough back from him on the pitch. For further context, with only three goal scored in his Leeds career, he has cost them around £5.3m per goal. Not ideal at all.

The experienced Premier League campaigner should be sold when the next transfer window opens because he has fallen down the pecking order, as evidenced by his lack of minutes, and underperformed when he was given a chance.

If a team is willing to take on his wages, Farke should sanction an exit for the central midfielder to open the door for the club to bring in a better replacement ahead of the second half of the season.