As Leeds United fans we all have opinions about what areas of the team need strengthening and what players should be brought in to fill these positions. It can often be a divisive area of discussion as each fan has their own preference and favourites. However, the perennial issue of left back and the need to strengthen there has been unanimously agreed upon by fans for some time now. In fact, you have to go right back to Ian Harte at the start of the millennium to find a left back that was capable, consistent and long term. Granted he was slower than an asthmatic snail, but his quality on the ball and from set pieces set him apart from so many that came after him.
Are left backs harder to find nowadays or have Leeds just been terribly unlucky?
It could be argued that traditional left backs are scarcer on the market now than 20 years ago, but then again, the game has changed considerably. No longer is it acceptable for your left back to knock the ball down the line in a hopeful punt or struggle to get forward and play in the final third. Left backs must now be competent defenders, comfortable in possession, be able to create and support attacks, under and overlap and produce efficient crossing. Modern full backs are also expected to contribute goals and assists on top of their already busy workload. Since the remit of a left back has changed, they seem harder to find as it has become a specialist role with growing importance. In todays game you essentially need a winger who can also defend well, cover his centre half’s efficiently and track runners. In another life, the likes of Jack Harrison could have made an excellent left back.
Before the position became more prominent in recent years, left back was always an area overlooked when signings were being prioritised. This is not a Leeds only problem, many clubs down the years have neglected this area and failed to comprehensively fill it.
I can’t think of another position on the field that is more regularly filled with a player playing out of their own natural position than left back. Over the last number of years at Leeds we have had the likes of Stuart Dallas, Pascal Struijk and Ejgan Alioski playing the role, all out of position. Prior to the signing of Junior Firpo in the summer of 2021, we have really only had one out and out left back in Barry Douglas fill role.
Leeds academy graduate Charlie Taylor, who has recently been linked with a move back to the club, has arguably been the only out and out, consistent option we have had since our promotion back to the Championship from league one in 2010. Taylor, now 29, made 93 appearances for the club between 2011 and 2017 and was a fan favourite before his departure to premier league Burnley in the summer of 2017.
After Taylor it was Ezgjan Alioski who next filled the role with any degree of regularity. Another popular figure at Elland Road, Alioski fit the bill in many ways, but he never truly won fans over as a capable defender at the highest level. He performed admirably under Marcelo Bielsa but it was hard to shake the idea amongst fans that Alioski was a midfielder dressed up as a defender, a stop gap until a genuine number 3 arrived.
Come the summer of 2021 and the signing of Junior Firpo. There was excitement around Firpo when he signed. He had the glamour of being ex-Barca and had built a reputation in La Liga as one to watch. We had every right to think we had landed on a bargain at 12.8 million. But the signs were there form the start. His initial period at Elland road was hampered with injury and it didn’t improve much from then. Despite a brief resurgence under Javi Gracia, Firpo has never truly looked comfortable in the Leeds side. It can take players time to adjust and get to the pace of the English game, but watching Firpo, it always looks like it is his first time to play left back, comically found out of position time and time again. Perhaps it’s the case that he has never been fully fit or has never truly gained confidence, but it hasn’t happened for him, and the signs are that it’s not going to.
It is now July 2023 and the need to fill the problem child role is as important as ever. Leeds have missed out on Irishman Ryan Manning after he secured a move to Southampton just this week. Charlie Taylor had been mooted for a comeback but anything serious on that front is yet to materialise. Junior Firpo looks as though he is on his way out of the club and maybe that is for the best. Leeds have work to do in this transfer market and not least the left side of defence. Lets hope left back is finally given the attention it needs, it’s been long enough.
