Leeds United struck gold with unknown transfer that Marcelo Bielsa transformed | OneFootball

Ezgjan Alioski joined Leeds United in 2017 as an unknown quantity but became a key player under Marcelo Bielsa

After a four-year spell at Elland Road which saw Leeds United enjoy some of their best days in recent history, Ezgjan Alioski is remembered fondly by supporters, but it's fair to say that he was an unknown quantity when he first arrived.

The versatile Macedonian international joined the Whites in the summer of 2017 from Swiss side Lugano, and given the fact he'd spent his entire career to date playing in Switzerland, he certainly wasn't a household name on these shores.

However, he'd become one in the years that followed, and he'd play a pivotal role in helping the club return to the top-flight for the first time in 16 years, being one of the first names on Marcelo Bielsa's teamsheet thanks to his consistent performances and versatility.

Bielsa's arrival in 2018 proved the catalyst needed to take Alioski's career to the next level, and it's fair to say that Leeds struck gold with his signing.

Leeds United struck gold with Ezgjan Alioski's signing

After enjoying a very successful 2016/17 season in Switzerland with Lugano, which saw him score 17 goals and 14 assists in 36 appearances, Leeds signed Alioski on a four-year deal.

Considering his goal contributions in Switzerland, it looked a real coup for Leeds, and so it proved, but perhaps in a slightly different way than expected.

For Lugano, Alioski played predominantly as a winger and as a striker, hence his impressive goal return, but he was used differently at Leeds when Bielsa arrived.

Thomas Christensen and Paul Heckingbottom used Alioski predominantly as a winger during the 2017/18 season as they finished in 13th place, but Bielsa's arrival that summer would transform the Macedonian international's fortunes.

He began to be used at left-back to great effect, still registering goals and assists despite being a defender, and while Leeds fell short of promotion, he still came out with plenty of credit.

Alioski continued to be used as a defender during the famous 2019/20 title-winning campaign, and while he only started 21 games, he played 39 Championship fixtures in total, registering five goals and five assists as they reached the Premier League.

Despite the step-up in quality to the Premier League, the versatile Macedonian actually started more games in the top-flight than he had in the Championship the previous season, starting 29 games and playing 36 in total as the Whites finished 9th, a very respectable return.

He played a range of positions as expected by Alioski at this stage, but it was at left-back where he featured most commonly in what proved to be his final season at Elland Road.

Leeds and Alioski were unable to agree fresh terms on a new contract in the summer of 2021, and he departed on a free transfer, four years after his arrival.

Signed as a forward in the Championship, Alioski ended his time at Elland Road as a Premier League defender, and Bielsa's arrival in 2018 really helped to transform him as a player.

Four years after leaving Leeds United, Ezgjan Alioski is a free agent

After leaving Leeds in the summer of 2021, Alioski agreed a deal to sign for Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ahli, putting pen-to-paper on a three-year deal with the Jeddah-based side, seeing his deal expire in the summer of 2024.

Despite three years as a contracted Al-Ahli player, Alioski spent the 2022/23 season on loan with Fenerbahçe, where he made 26 appearances, scoring once and registering two assists.

He only made 34 appearances for Al-Ahli, and while he registered some decent numbers, scoring six goals and ten assists, he departed Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2024.

This means that the 32-year-old is currently a free agent, perhaps raising eyebrows considering he's not too old and has an impressive CV, particularly thanks to his time at Leeds.

Alioski has played a number of international games for North Macedonia this season, but as of yet, a club move is yet to materialise.

Leeds supporters will be surprised to see this, and Alioski is certainly fondly remembered by the Elland Road faithful after playing an important role in helping the club reach the Premier League.