Aarons could give Town new options
PACE, flair and unpredictability.
Those are the qualities Huddersfield Town would get should they sign Rolando Aarons from Newcastle United in the January transfer window.
He is a player capable of making things happen and I saw that at first hand during his brief loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday less than 18 months ago.
Stationed on the left flank in a 4-4-2 formation, Aarons provided the team with some much-needed speed and width.
A quick, athletic, direct winger, he scored once and made one in six league starts.
Not a bad return given his lack of game time prior to moving to Hillsborough.
Although his decisionmaking and delivery in the final third was far from perfect, Aarons was not afraid to take defenders on.
He was exciting to watch in full flight and gave the team more balance.
Speaking in March 2019, former Wednesday manager Steve Bruce said: “His career seemed to have fallen off the cliff a little bit, so you blow him a little bit of confidence, put an arm around his shoulder and remind him what a good player he was which I remember when he first burst onto the scene.
“I’m delighted because he’s given us something we haven’t got - he’s got a little trick, he’s quick, and he’s energetic and young, and I’m delighted for him, because he’s a really, really good kid.”
An ankle injury sustained in the warm-up at Stoke City curtailed his loan stint but Aarons showed flashes of his ability.
There were moments of promise and it should have been the springboard to bigger and better things.
Yet Aarons has not kicked on, failing to pull up any trees in temporary spells at either Wycombe Wanderers or Motherwell.
Despite Aarons’ struggles, Huddersfield owner Phil Hodgkinson has made it clear the 25-year-old is their top transfer target. Town are short on strength in depth in the wide areas.
Will drafting in Aarons solve their problems? No, but it would be another piece in the jigsaw. He could certainly give Town a different option down the flanks.
Few would argue that Aarons is a talented player who has lost his way. Maybe, just maybe, Carlos Corberan could be the man to unlock his true potential.