Latest Ben Johnson development surely spells end for this Leeds United player: View | OneFootball

Leeds United had a disappointing end to the Championship campaign, as they missed out on automatic promotion and suffered a 2-1 defeat to Southampton in the last game of the season.

However, the Yorkshire side will now look to put that behind them as they prepare for two mouthwatering ties against Norwich City in the play-offs.

Obviously, Leeds’ status for next season is up in the air, and that means, at this moment in time, it is unclear what business the club could do this summer.

Daniel Farke will hope he is able to shop in the Premier League window, but if they don’t get past Norwich and then either Southampton or West Brom, they will be shopping as a Championship team once again.

Despite the season not being over yet for Leeds, the club is already being linked with potential arrivals this summer. West Ham United’s Ben Johnson has been a target for some time, and reports emerged again last week that the defender was going to be someone Farke looked to pursue.

Leeds United remain interested in Ben Johnson

Leeds United and Ben Johnson speculation isn’t something that has come out of nowhere; the defender has been mentioned with a move to Elland Road for a while now.

The Yorkshire side were credited with an interest in the West Ham player months ago, and it seems that interest hasn’t gone away.

According to The Athletic, Leeds are among the sides keeping an eye on the defender’s situation.

This report states that Scottish side Rangers are among the clubs interested in him, as well as Premier League side Crystal Palace.

Johnson is being watched, as the defender’s contract with the Hammers expires at the end of the season, and it is expected he will leave, given that he has rejected multiple offers from the club over a new deal.

The right-back has struggled all season for regular minutes, as he’s only played 22 times for West Ham in all competitions.

Leeds chances of signing the defender may rest on whether they can achieve promotion to the Premier League or not. But if they do secure his signature, you would have to expect Cody Drameh’s time at Elland Road to come to an end.

Leeds United signing Ben Johnson could spell the end for Cody Drameh

Cody Drameh has been with Leeds United since 2020, when he joined the club from Fulham.

The defender was integrated into the club’s under-21 team right away and has now made over 40 appearances for them at this level to this day.

As well as featuring heavily for the academy team, Drameh has also had his fair share of loans, with his Birmingham City spell this season being his third of his career. Before this season, the 22-year-old spent six months with Cardiff City and six months with Luton Town.

The defender was very key in the Hatters’ promotion last season, and it was expected he would return to Elland Road and be a key part of their defence, given their relegation to the Championship.

However, it soon became clear that wasn’t going to happen, and towards the end of the summer transfer window, Leeds decided to send the right-back on a season-long loan to Birmingham after a pretty shocking display at left-back against Ipswich Town when he was subbed both on and off.

Of course, for Birmingham, it was a terrible campaign, as the Blues suffered relegation to League One. But for Drameh, it was another campaign where he showed he has a lot to offer and is comfortable at this level.

Drameh played 29 times for the Blues in the second tier, during which time he didn’t register a goal, but he did grab three assists.

Alongside his three assists, Drameh has created two big chances for his teammates as well as registering 0.7 key passes, as per Sofascore.com.

In defence, Drameh will be judged, and the right-back has done reasonably well this season. He averaged 2.8 tackles per game, as well as 2.5 clearances, and recovered the ball an impressive 4.9 times, helping Birmingham to three clean sheets while he was on the pitch.

These may not be standout numbers, but it has been a campaign where he has shown glimpses of why Leeds have him on their books in the first place.

If Leeds are successful in their bid to add Johnson to their squad this summer, it would have to be said that Drameh’s time at Elland Road will come to an end rather naturally, with another right-back targeted ahead of renegotiating with him.

Johnson isn’t going to join Leeds and sit on the bench; Farke is going to add the Englishman because they need to strengthen in that area of the pitch with Luke Ayling and Sam Byram out of contract and Connor Roberts' loan about to end, and he clearly sees him as the man to do that.

Furthermore, Drameh’s contract with Leeds expires at the end of this season, so for him to sign a new contract, you would expect there to be some reassurances made. It seems, then, that the 22-year-old should be on his way out of Leeds at the end of June - a conclusion that's been quite apparent since his latest loan was given the green-light. It will be the case even more if the club are successful in their pursuit of Johnson from West Ham.