Leeds United should have done 'everything in their power to keep' Gjanni Alioski last summer. That's according to former Republic of Ireland defender Ian Harte, who believes the Whites made a mistake by not keeping the North Macedonia left-back at the club.
The 30-year-old left the Whites at the end of the 2020/21 season after his contract came to an end. He decided to join Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli and has since scored six goals in 23 appearances.
However, Alioski was a firm fans' favourite at Elland Road and was recognised for his energy and pressing, which suited him so well in Marcelo Bielsa's system. During his time at Leeds, he made 170 appearances and had a major role in their Championship-winning campaign, playing in all but seven games.
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Alioski's absence has been felt as Leeds have struggled to replace him in that position, with Junior Firpo failing to impress following his £13million move from Barcelona last July. Harte doesn't believe that Firpo is the long-term solution and believes they should've done more to keep Alioski.
"I like Alioski who left at the end of last season, I think Leeds should have done everything in their power to keep him, he told Freebets.com. They brought in Firpo from Barcelona, but he’s not a patch on Alioski: energy, desire, hunger to get up and down the pitch.
"These players come from Barcelona and Real Madrid, but they’ve never actually played for the clubs. I just think they should have kept Alioski, he was brilliant, and all the players loved him.
When asked about whether Leeds should recruit in that position again in the summer, he said: "I would, but you can’t then have a 17-million-pound player sitting on the bench. But that’s been a weak link this season and why Dallas has played a hell of a lot of games in that position, but I think they need a natural left back if I’m being honest."
