Leeds United have had issues at left-back in recent years, arguably ever since academy graduate Charlie Taylor left for Burnley back in 2017.
The Whites currently have Sam Byram and Junior Firpo in that position as senior options for Daniel Farke’s side, as they look to win promotion from the Championship following relegation last season. However, injury problems have impacted both defenders, leaving the club needing to bolster their ranks in 2024.
Unfortunately, Leeds haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to left-backs over the past ten years, with plenty of misses and not many hits, so as they enter the January transfer market in need of a new addition, what's happened to the last ten left-back signings at Elland Road?
Adam Drury 2012/13
Back in 2012, Leeds secured the services of Adam Drury after he spent more than 10 years at Norwich City. He clocked up more than 350 appearances for the Canaries and arrived with plenty of second-tier experience to bolster Neil Warnock’s side, but things didn’t go to plan for the Englishman.
Drury featured 18 times for Leeds in just over a year and went on loan to Bradford City in 2013/14 before retiring from professional football at the end of that campaign.
Stephen Warnock 2012/13
With Drury struggling, Warnock turned to another experienced left-back in Stephen Warnock, who penned a two-and-a-half-year contract at Elland Road on deadline day in January 2013.
The former Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa full-back was a regular straightaway in Yorkshire and ended up staying at the club until 2015, even replacing Jason Pearce as club captain towards the end of his stint.
Stephen Warnock stats at Leeds
Appearances
67
Goals
3
Assists
5
Red cards
1
He left for Derby County in 2015, with Taylor coming through the Leeds academy and taking his place in the first-team. Warnock, after retiring in 2018, now features regularly as a pundit on Sky Sports.
Alfonso Pedraza 2016/17 (loan)
With Taylor becoming a regular for the Whites between 2015 and 2017, Leeds were quiet in the transfer window for a few years when it came to full-back additions. They did turn to the loan market under Garry Monk in 2017, with Alfonso Pedraza joining on a temporary basis from Villarreal.
The Spaniard was actually utilised further forward as a left-winger, making 14 appearances for Leeds before returning to Villarreal after the Whites missed out on the play-offs.
Now, Pedraza is known as a left-back for Villarreal and has gone on to become a regular for the La Liga side, approaching 200 games for his current employers.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson 2017/18 (loan)
A new season and a new manager in Thomas Christiansen, Leeds once again turned to the loan market as they looked to replace Taylor, with Cameron Borthwick-Jackson arriving from rivals Manchester United.
However, things didn’t go to plan for Borthwick-Jackson, and after starting the first Championship game of the season, didn’t play for the Whites in the league again, with his last appearance coming in an FA Cup defeat to Newport County. The Englishman went on to play for Scunthorpe United, Tranmere Rovers, Oldham Athletic and Burton Albion but moved to Poland last summer to join Slask Wroclaw.
Ezgjan Alioski 2017/18
Initially coming in as a winger from Swiss side Lugano, Ezgjan Alioski has arguably been the club’s best left-back signing over the past 10 years.
The North Macedonia international was transformed into a full-back under Marcelo Bielsa and helped take the club to the Premier League in 2019/20, before also playing his part as the club recorded an incredible 9th place finish in their first season in the top flight.
Ezgjan Alioski stats at Leeds
Appearances
171
Goals
22
Assists
19
Minutes played
12,037
Since leaving Elland Road in 2021, the 31-year-old moved to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli and also went on loan to Fenerbahce, where he has continued to ply his trade at left-back.
Laurens De Bock 2017/18
Another full-back who joined during the 2017/18 season was Laurens De Bock, with Victor Orta securing his services from Club Brugge in January in a permanent transfer.
The Belgian only played seven times for Leeds and was quickly sent out on loan to KV Oostende, before joining Sunderland, ADO Den Haag and Zulte Waregem on temporary deals, eventually joining the latter on a free transfer. Now, De Bock is in Greece with Atromitos, with his move to Leeds being another one to forget.
Leif Davis 2018/19
Davis was brought to Leeds by Bielsa from Morecambe back in 2018 and initially was viewed as an academy addition, although he was a regular in and around the first-team matchday squad during the Argentine’s tenure at Elland Road.
The youngster made 14 senior appearances for the Whites, two of which came in the Premier League before he moved to Bournemouth on loan.
He completed a permanent move to Ipswich Town in 2022 when the Tractor Boys were in League One and the Whites were still in the Premier League, and now, that deal looks to be a mistake from Leeds. Davis has played a starring role for Ipswich over the last 18 months, becoming a creative outlet from left-back.
Barry Douglas 2018/19
Free-kick specialist Barry Douglas was seen as the star left-back addition ahead of Davis prior to Bielsa’s first season in charge, joining from Wolves on a permanent transfer.
However, the Scot never lived up to expectations at Elland Road, failing to score a goal and registering five assists in 44 games. Injury issues also impacted his stay in Yorkshire, although he was part of the squad that won promotion. After leaving Leeds in 2021 for Lech Poznan, Douglas is still with the Polish side and has made more than 100 appearances for the club, although his deal is up at the end of the season.
Junior Firpo 2021/22
Leeds were calling out for a left-back addition in the Premier League, which resulted in Junior Firpo arriving from Barcelona ahead of the club’s second season in the top flight.
However, like many that have come and gone, things haven’t worked out for the Spaniard, who has been in and out of the side due to various injury problems.
The 27-year-old has managed more than 50 appearances in a Leeds shirt but has also been out with knee, hamstring and ligament problems, failing to help the club stay up last season as a result.
Sam Byram 2023/24
With a shortage at left-back over the summer, Farke brought Sam Byram back to Elland Road, over six years after he left Leeds for West Ham. The former right-back has been transformed into a left-back in recent years with Norwich City, and a free transfer materialised after he proved his fitness in pre-season.
Byram began the campaign as a regular at left-back for Leeds, but unfortunately, minor injury issues have once again returned, which leaves the Whites on the search for another left-back.