Leeds United loanee's Elland Road future set to be resolved as 21-year-old leans towards transfer

Leeds United defender Cody Drameh has excelled whilst on loan at promotion-chasing Championship side Luton Town
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Since joining on loan in the January transfer window, Cody Drameh has re-asserted himself as one of the division’s most capable right wing-backs for Luton Town. The Hatters are an outside bet for automatic promotion to the Premier League under boss Rob Edwards and are most likely to feature in the play-offs at the tail end of the 2022/23 campaign, currently sitting third in the table, five points adrift of Sheffield United in second.

Drameh arrived as a replacement for James Bree who joined Southampton in the winter window and has slotted in seamlessly on Luton’s right-hand side. It is a similar role to the one he played for Cardiff City 12 months ago, when the Leeds youngster forced through a temporary switch to the Welsh club in order to gain first-team experience.

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The first half of this season saw Drameh restricted to Under-21 football with Leeds’ development squad once again, a level his current ability and experience supersedes. When Leeds added Denmark right-back Rasmus Kristensen last summer and exercised a one-year extension in vice-captain Luke Ayling’s Elland Road deal, it was deemed imperative for Drameh’s development that he sought a loan move in January.

Luton Town manager Rob Edwards hugs Cody Drameh at the end of the Sky Bet Championship match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Picture date: Saturday March 11, 2023. (Picture credit: PA/Will Matthews)Luton Town manager Rob Edwards hugs Cody Drameh at the end of the Sky Bet Championship match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Picture date: Saturday March 11, 2023. (Picture credit: PA/Will Matthews)
Luton Town manager Rob Edwards hugs Cody Drameh at the end of the Sky Bet Championship match at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Picture date: Saturday March 11, 2023. (Picture credit: PA/Will Matthews)

Over the course of a dozen matches, the 21-year-old’s second Championship stint could hardly have gone much better: 12 starts, eight clean sheets, eight wins and one defeat – in which he was substituted with the scores still level.

During his time at Kenilworth Road, Luton have trailed for just 75 minutes with Drameh on the pitch, although, the Hatters were riding high before Drameh’s arrival.

On Drameh, leading Football League podcast ‘Not The Top 20’ said: “If they'd [Luton] only got a poor replacement, there's no chance they'd have hit the same levels as the WBs [wing-backs] are crucial to way they play. But he's provided the same power and athleticism that Bree has, which was crucial.

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"I don't think his crossing technique is particularly stand out but he's composed enough on the ball, not a rabbit in headlights at all and not 'where attacks go to die' which is an issue for some teams that play WBs.

"I'd give all aspects credit for what has been a fantastic loan spell so far. The fact that he also stood out in a much poorer Cardiff team makes me think he shouldn't have credit taken away for the fact he's now in a better team - his performances have been great.

“I think he's an excellent RB/RWB for this level and if I was in charge of recruitment for any Championship team he would be underlined on the targets board,” NTT20 added.

Needless to say, Luton have consolidated their grip on a play-off spot with the Leeds loanee in the side.

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There is no option to make Drameh’s deal permanent in his current loan deal but with the outlook at Elland Road unlikely to change this summer – despite potentially having helped Luton to top flight football for the first time in 31 years – Leeds will almost certainly field calls enquiring about the 21-year-old’s availability on a permanent basis.

As with their entire complement of loanees, Leeds are monitoring Drameh’s progress in Bedfordshire. The club, though, have a job on their hands convincing the 21-year-old to stay, as anything short of elevating him to first-choice right-back is understood to be insufficient in persuading him that his future lies at Elland Road.

The YEP understands that with 12 months remaining on his contract, an end to Drameh’s time as a Leeds player is somewhat inevitable, with noises from the player’s camp signalling a permanent exit is on the cards before pre-season begins this summer.