Leeds United full-back Ezgjan Alioski will see his contract expire at Elland Road on June 30th, meaning he will be able to leave the club on a free transfer.
As a result, Leeds have been scouring the various leagues and competitions across Europe in an attempt to sign a replacement, in the event that Alioski does decide to move on.
Regardless, Leeds will be signing a left-back this summer, not just because of Alioski's uncertain future.
Barry Douglas was named on Leeds' retained list for the 2021/22 season as a player who will be released at the end of his deal this summer. Meanwhile, Leif Davis' non-involvement in the Premier League towards the end of last season suggests he may well be loaned out rather than blooded in the top flight this term.
Stuart Dallas' rise to prominence in central midfield also means the Whites are a tad light at left-back, if they intend to continue with the Northern Irishman in his new No. 8 posting.
Full-backs have become eminent in the footballing sphere over the past couple of seasons, with more attacking defenders revered in elite sides.
Two players who have been championed in that period are Liverpool duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
Jurgen Klopp's men are standouts at their respective roles, operating often as auxiliary midfielders, such is their advanced and aggressive positioning.
Robertson and Alexander-Arnold's crossing is their shared strength. From either side of the pitch, Liverpool are a threat, thanks to their two trusty full-backs.
Last season, Alexander-Arnold completed more crosses into the penalty area than any other player, as per FBRef.com - despite suggestions he had an off-colour campaign.
Second, was Andy Robertson - joint with Lucas Digne of Everton, who was lauded for his delivery at Goodison Park.
Similarly, Alexander-Arnold and Robertson were first and second for progressive passes throughout 2020/21.
This means the Liverpool duo completed more passes which travelled at least ten yards towards to the opposition's goal - not counting those originating within the defensive third - than any other Premier League player.
In terms of carrying the ball, the pairing unsurprisingly ranked very highly too.
Andy Robertson completed more carries with the ball at his feet than any other player, while Alexander-Arnold ranked fifth.
Sitting in sixth place was Luke Ayling - who actually trumped both Liverpool players in terms of the number of yards he carried the ball.
Ayling's 13,184 yards travelled with the ball at his feet was bettered only by Manchester City's Ruben Dias.
By comparison, Ezgjan Alioski only carried the ball around 5,800 yards, meaning Leeds were somewhat unbalanced in that regard.
If Leeds were able to recruit a player with ball-carrying pedigree on the same plane as Ayling, there is no reason Leeds' full-backs could not emulate the influence of Robertson and Alexander-Arnold - to an extent.
Fortunately, the Whites have already been linked with a player who ticks that very box.
Huesca's Javi Galan has been subject to multiple reports claiming he will be leaving the Spanish club this summer.
Following relegation, it was reported by Sevillan sources that Galan's release clause had halved to around €4 million.
For any Premier League side, that is more than affordable.
As seen by the above graphic, Galan is an expert when it comes to beating players with the ball at his feet.
While dribbling and carrying are two separate things, Galan is adept at both.
In La Liga last season, the Huesca left-back carried the ball 9,000 yards, which is considerably closer to Ayling's figure than Alioski.
Galan achieved this while playing for a team who have possession of the ball a great deal less than Leeds United too - suggesting an element of scalability, should he be signed.
So far, links to Galan remain speculative but if Leeds were looking to correct their full-back imbalance, the Badajoz-born man would not be a bad place to start.
