Portsmouth should take advantage of Leeds United development: View | OneFootball

Portsmouth should look to sign Cody Drameh as he is set to leave Leeds United.

Portsmouth’s preparations for their 2024/25 Championship season have now got underway.

The South Coast side are preparing for life back in the Championship after a sustained period away playing in League Two and League One.

John Mousinho’s side were a cut above the rest last season in England’s third tier, as they stormed into a lead at the top of the table early on and managed to stay there, sealing promotion by winning the title.

The Portsmouth boss will be eager to strengthen his side over the coming weeks despite the success last season, as he will know his side needs to be good enough to compete in the second tier.

One player Pompey should be keeping an eye on and potentially making a move for is Leeds United defender Cody Drameh, as he looks set to leave Elland Road.

Cody Drameh looks set to leave Leeds

Cody Drameh has been on the books at Leeds United since 2020, when the Yorkshire side bought the defender from Fulham.

The defender has featured a lot for the club’s under-21s but has struggled to make an impact in their first team, as he’s spent most of the recent seasons on loan elsewhere.

Drameh spent last season on loan at Birmingham City, but it was a disappointing spell, as Drameh didn’t have the impact expected and the Blues were relegated to League One.

The right-back has returned to Leeds with his future up in the air, as his contract is set to expire, but despite hardly featuring for the club, Leeds have decided to offer him a new contract.

However, their chances of finding an agreement look slim, as according to Leeds Live, the Championship side expects Drameh to reject their contract proposal.

The report goes on to add that because Leeds have offered Drameh a new deal, the Whites will now be entitled to compensation if Drameh does find a new club because he is under 24.

Portsmouth should look to capitalise on the Cody Drameh and Leeds situation

It appears as though Cody Drameh’s time at Leeds United is about to come to an end, as the defender looks set to leave despite being offered a new contract.

This is a bold move from the player, as Drameh has the opportunity to remain at Elland Road and secure his future for at least another 12 months.

However, it has been a testing time for the defender since joining the Yorkshire side, as he’s only played for Leeds 10 times since joining in 2020.

As previously mentioned, Drameh has spent the majority of his time at the club being sent on loan elsewhere, with him featuring for the likes of Cardiff City, Luton Town, and Birmingham City.

His latest loan move was to Birmingham, a period that wasn’t the best for the player, as the defender had a few injury concerns during the campaign, and he was unable to prevent the Blues from being relegated.

However, when Drameh was fit and available, he did start the majority of the games, as he started 23 of the 29 league games he played, averaging 78 minutes per game.

The 22-year-old failed to score for the Blues, but he did contribute in parts to their attacking play, as he created two big chances for his teammates and collected 0.7 key passes, all of which helped him record three assists.

Drameh also did his bit in Birmingham City’s defence, as he averaged 0.9 interceptions per game as well as 2.8 tackles, and he was only dribbled past 0.8 times per game, as per Sofascore.com.

The full-back has played over 60 times in the Championship now in his career, and with him looking set to become a free agent, Portsmouth should be looking to try and strike an agreement with the defender.

Of course, compensation would have to be agreed between the two clubs because of Drameh’s age, but it would be a no-brainer for Portsmouth to sign the player this summer.

Drameh would bring energy, experience, and the ability to defend and attack as a full-back, which surely fits into what Mousinho would want.

Drameh is a player who will want to find a new club where he can play regularly and develop into a better player, and Portsmouth could be the perfect club to do that.

Furthermore, Pompey only have Zak Swanson as their recognised right-back in the squad, so Drameh would have a very good chance of making that right-back his own in this team.

It would be a deal that benefits both parties, as Drameh continues to play in the second tier and would likely play a lot, while Portsmouth would improve their defence and would do so in a relatively cheap way.