Leeds United have one of the toughest run-ins of those fighting for Premier League safety, and thus their future in the division hangs worryingly in the balance.
After strong showings from Nottingham Forest and Everton last Monday, some frightening daylight has opened up between them and those who currently occupy places in the relegation zone. Sam Allardyce will know that he must get a result out of Newcastle United, West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur to achieve what he was brought into Elland Road to do.
Should he fail, it would have catastrophic repercussions for a club that had invested heavily following the sales of Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha last summer. It feels like a lifetime ago that those two stars were shining for this club.
The main issue with the purchases made off their back was that the bulk of it was entrusted to Jesse Marsch, who had admittedly saved them from the drop last season, but hardly in a convincing fashion.
It quickly became clear that the American was not fit for purpose, yet chairman Andrea Radrizzani remained faithful until the position became truly untenable. This left Javi Gracia with a huge mess to clean up, which coincidentally has only been exacerbated for Allardyce.
One benefit that relegation might bring is that most of the former RB Salzburg coach's signings would likely leave, with the worst of the lot, Brenden Aaronson, sure to be ushered out the door at the first opportunity by the club's hierarchy.
How has Brenden Aaronson played this season?
Having joined in a £25m move that made him one of the most expensive signings in their history, big things were expected from the creative midfielder who was clearly a product of Marsch's favouritism.
The 22-year-old had posted four goals and five assists in just 26 appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga, and although it was not outstanding, there was belief that, at the very least, the forward might be able to spearhead the pressing system of his compatriot.
However, it quickly became clear that the £45k-per-week dud was far from the required level, despite garnering a consistent place in the starting XI.
Aaronson would start their opening 19 league matches but scored just once and assisted twice. Having since made another 14 appearances, he has added just one more goal contribution, bringing his total tally for the campaign up to a miserable four in 33 outings.
Pundit Jon Newsome even took to BBC Radio Leeds to vest his frustrations with the flop after one abysmal showing against the Toffees, as he claimed:
“I feel he’s very lightweight. There were a couple of occasions when the ball was there to be won and he actually jumped out of the way. That, for me, is really disappointing,”
This move must to be chalked down as a monumental Marsch failure; one of many from his short reign. Whilst his exit is to be expected should they go down, the worry then becomes finding someone who might pay anything near what they initially unloaded to sign him.
Aaronson's abhorrent year in Yorkshire has proven he is barely worth half of that fee, so it could mean suffering a huge loss just to get him off the books. A small sacrifice for Radrizzani to pay to end this miserable chapter in the club's history, and a small silver lining should relegation become a reality.
