Farke must now unleash Leeds' very own Gustavo Hamer

Leeds United are back in action in the Championship this evening as they prepare to travel across Yorkshire to take on Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

The Whites have the chance to move five points clear of the Blades with a win against Chris Wilder’s team, which would also put them seven points clear of Burnley in third place.

Daniel Farke‘s side are looking to secure a league double over Sheffield United this season, after they won 2-0 at Elland Road earlier in the 2024/25 campaign.

Pascal Struijk, who was the hero against Sunderland last time out, opened the scoring for the Whites that day, before Mateo Joseph made sure of the result with the second goal.

That game was back in October, still in the early stages of the season, but both teams have continued to shine and are the two best sides in the division as it stands.

One of Sheffield United’s key players, Gustavo Hamer, could have ended up at Elland Road under different circumstances, as the Whites were reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Dutchman last summer.

Leeds United’s interest in Gustavo Hamer

The West Yorkshire outfit were keen to sign the former Coventry City star to bolster their midfield options in the summer transfer window last year, but failed to get a deal over the line.

Farke wanted to add Hamer to the group after he showed potential at Premier League level with the Blades, racking up four goals and six assists in the top-flight for the relegated outfit.

Leeds reportedly submitted an offer of £13m to sign the attacking midfielder, despite Sheffield United paying £15m to the Sky Blues for him in 2023, and that was swiftly rejected by the Blades.

That was not the end of the club’s interest in the impressive midfield maestro, however, as it was then reported that the Whites came back with a second attempt to secure Hamer’s services before the end of the window.

Leeds reportedly offered Sheffield United Joel Piroe and an undisclosed amount of money in exchange for the Dutch playmaker, but that was also rejected by their Championship rivals, who were not interested in the Whites centre-forward.

The West Yorkshire side ultimately failed to get a deal done for Hamer and the former Coventry star remained at Bramall Lane beyond the deadline, and that has turned out to be a big boost for the Blades as he has been in terrific form in the Championship this season.

Gustavo Hamer’s form this season

The 27-year-old midfielder, who has played centrally and out wide on the left at times, has started 26 of his 29 appearances in the second tier for Sheffield United this season, which shows that he has been a go-to man for Wilder when fit.

Hamer has offered a threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Blades from an attacking midfield position, with a return of seven goals and five assists in the Championship.

The Sheffield United maestro is also a midfielder who works incredibly hard for his team out of possession, as shown by his 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game in the division.

As you can see in the table above, Hamer ranks highly among his positional peers in the Championship in a host of attacking statistics, as well as when it comes to intercepting passes to win possession back for his team.

It is, therefore, easy to see why Leeds were so keen to sign the Dutchman from the Blades last summer. However, Farke could unleash his own version of Hamer this evening in the form of Brenden Aaronson.

Leeds United’s own Gustavo Hamer

The USA international returned to Eland Road last summer after he spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Union Berlin and he was an unknown quantity at the time, as he had never played in the Championship before.

However, his form in the second tier for Leeds this season suggests that they did not need to spend £13m or more on a deal to bring Hamer across Yorkshire, as they already have their version of Hamer in Aaronson.

They both excel in similar areas of the game, as shown in the chart above, as they are both attacking midfielders who want to make an impact in the final third by scoring and assisting goals.

Aaronson has produced eight goals and two assists in the Championship, but has been unfortunate to only rack up two assists as he has created six ‘big chances’ and 4.33 xA.

Wasteful finishing from his teammates has prevented him from having even more assists to his name, whilst his eight-goal haul shows that the midfielder offers a big threat in front of goal as a scorer.

As you can see in the table above, Aaronson has outscored Hamer in the second tier and has provided more to his side out of possession, with more duels won per game to hold onto the ball or to regain it off the opposition in physical battles.

This illustrates how hard-working the American star, who former boss Jesse Marsch described as being “like a weed” in the way he develops as a player, is as well as being an excellent option on the ball in the final third.

The £45k-per-week whiz came in from the cold last summer and has established himself as an integral part of Farke’s team in the Championship, and he may not have had the chance to do so if the club had splashed the cash on Hamer.

Leeds now have their own version of the Sheffield United star and he must be unleashed from the start against the Blades this evening to give him the opportunity to show that the Whites have the better player out of the two.