How is ex-Leeds United star Ezgjan Alioski getting on? | OneFootball

Leeds United's latest Championship season is well underway, with the Whites embarking on their first season at second tier level in three years.

A host of changes have been made behind the scenes for Leeds under two-time winner of the Championship, Daniel Farke. The German is being tasked with returning Leeds to Premier League football at the first time of asking.

The last time Leeds played in English football's second tier, they won the league under the stewardship of Marcelo Bielsa, ending their 16-year-exile from the top-flight.

There were many key components of that team, from Pablo Hernandez and Mateusz Klich who have since left the club for pastures new, to the likes of Liam Cooper and Luke Ayling who remain with the club in 2023/24.

One player who was a vital player under Bielsa for many years, was Ezgjan Alioski.

Who is Gjanni Alioski?

The 31-year-old is a North Macedonian international with 67 caps for his country, scoring 12 times.

He was signed by Leeds in 2017 from Swiss side FC Lugano, initially being signed as a winger, where he performed well in his first season for the club.

He was virtually ever-present during his four-year spell with the side, and became another vital part of the Bielsa promotion-winning team.

Although initially starting off as a winger, Alioski was used as a utility player, operating as a left or right-winger, and as a left-back for much of the latter stages of his Leeds career. He played 170 times, scoring 22 goals and collecting 17 assists.

The versatile winger, wing-back or full-back left Elland Road upon the expiry of contract in 2021, to join Saudi side Al-Ahli.

He played 30 times for the club in his first season, scoring six times and providing a further nine assists in the process.

However, he couldn't prevent his new side from avoiding relegation that season, which prompted the 31-year-old to leave the club on a temporary basis during the 2022/23 campaign.

Alioski left the club on loan, joining Turkish giants Fenerbahce. Last season, he was deployed mostly as a left-back for his new side, scoring once and collecting two assists from 26 appearances.

They finished second in the league, behind champions Galatasaray, and also competed in the Europa League as well. Alioski also played in eight games in Europe for his new team.

Fenerbahce did not opt to buy Alioski on a permanent basis, meaning he returned to Al-Ahli for the current season, but the Saudi side had gained promotion from the second tier as champions last term.

The Saudi League in general has had a huge influx of European-based players this summer, with the likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Sadio Mane, and Neymar all joining Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia.

Alioski has been joined at his new side by a star-studded cast this summer, with Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Merih Demiral, Gabriel Veiga, Allan Saint-Maximin, Franck Kessie, and Roger Ibanez coming to Al-Ahli.

The North Macedonian has played in four games already, assisting one goal. Alioski's side have won four and lost one of their opening five games upon their return to the top-flight.