Leeds United have allowed Cody Drameh to link up with Championship side Luton Town on a loan until the end of the season. The defender has endured a frustrating campaign at Elland Road so far after finding himself rooted behind Luke Ayling and Rasmus Kristensen in the pecking order.
As such, despite backing himself at the start of the year to compete for a spot, he has made just three senior appearances under Jesse Marsch for the Whites, including just one Premier League outing. He has picked up regular game time with the Under-21s over the opening half of the campaign, but his performances have underlined his readiness to take the next step and pick up regular first-team minutes.
Drameh will hope that comes at Kenilworth Road after joining Rob Edwards’ promotion chasers for the final 19 games of their campaign. Luton, who beat off competition for Drameh’s signature, have an opening at right-back with James Bree on his way out of the club to join former Hatters boss Nathan Jones at Premier League Southampton and it is hoped Drameh can enjoy a run of first-team games.
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The Bedfordshire outfit are currently seventh in the Championship table and a strong run of form between now and the end of the campaign could be enough to see them claim a play-off spot. Of course, Drameh spent the second half of last season on loan on at Cardiff City and he impressed enough to win the club’s player of the year award.
He’ll hope to pick up where he left off in the Championship and in what is a bizarre quirk of fate, he could make his Luton bow against the Bluebirds on Tuesday night. Drameh’s contract at Elland Road only runs until the end of next season and there has been a number of clubs linked with permanent interest in the right-back in recent months.
Marsch, though, was quick to insist that Drameh is very much part of his plans moving forward at the club.
“Yes, I see, no doubt, a future here for him,” he said during his pre-Accrington Stanley press conference on Thursday afternoon. “He and I have I think formed a pretty strong relationship over the last eight months.
“If I go back to the first time I met him and he was very dissatisfied about coming back and kind of expressed that he didn't think that this was going to be right for him. But over time, just getting to know each other and him being a part of what we've been building here, I think he sees his potential here and the potential of what we're doing as a club. I think he has a lot more excitement about the possibility of what the long-term project could be like.
“I told him when he left that it was unfortunate that we didn't have, with both Luke and Rasmus right now, that we just didn't have more opportunities for him to develop right here, right now with us. In many ways, I think he's ready for those challenges, but we were also very clear with each other that we thought it was important that he go to a club that is pushing for something, that challenges him in a lot of ways.
“I think as a person he's developed a lot in the last eight months, and I think he's ready to put that to the test at a higher level than even being in Cardiff last year. By the way, a lot of clubs were interested and so it was just trying to find the right challenge for him so that when we see each other again in June, and we'll be in contact, I made sure to tell them we'll be in contact over the next month, but that when we see each other again in June, or end of May that he's ready for more here, he's improved and grown and is ready for big challenges here with us.”
Drameh isn’t the first player to leave Elland Road on loan this month, with Alfie McCalmont and Leo Hjelde joining Carlisle United and Rotherham United respectively. Joe Gelhardt is expected to join a Championship club before the window slams shut on Tuesday night, too, with Wigan Athletic and Sunderland thought to be in the frame. Max Dean and Mateusz Klich have left the club on a permanent basis in the current window, joining MK Dons and D.C. United respectively.
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