Left-back has been a problem area for Leeds United ever since Charlie Taylor left to join Burnley in 2017.
Numerous left-back have been signed and tried in the role, with varying levels of success. With Leif Davis departing Elland Road to join Ipswich Town on Monday, the Whites could recruit a new left-back this summer.
Davis was by no means a crucial first-team player, hence why Leeds were happy to let him go, but there is a lack of depth in that left-back position. Junior Firpo will be hoping to improve on his first campaign at Elland Road, but he is set to miss the first month of the new Premier League season through injury. 18-year-old Leo Hjelde provides backup, while Jack Harrison has been tested in the role during pre-season.
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It's fair to say that a solution still hasn't been found for Leeds' long-lasting left-back problem, so here's a look at five players who were tried in the position, but have since moved on.
Leif Davis
Davis' move to Ipswich brought to an end his four-year stint at Elland Road. The 22-year-old never truly kicked on with the Whites, and he will now be plying his trade in English football's third tier.
He spent last season on loan at AFC Bournemouth, winning promotion to the Premier League, but in truth, Davis played a bit-part role. Davis made 15 appearances for the Cherries, with his season coming to an end in March after picking up an injury against Derby County.
Jesse Marsch admitted that Davis was essentially 'on trial' with Leeds this summer, and the left-back had spoken to Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna before the Whites' tour of Australia, so a deal was always in the pipeline.
Barry Douglas
Big things were expected of Douglas when he joined Leeds in 2018. The Scotsman had just come off the back of a stellar season with Wolves, where he played 42 games as Nuno Espirito Santo's side won the Championship - one of the most impressive sides the league has seen in recent times.
In a team full of talent, Douglas registered 15 assists (the top assister in the division) and scored five goals, and it was somewhat of a surprise that Wolves didn't retain him for a season in the Premier League. In that season, Douglas caught the eye with his delivery, especially from set-pieces.
However, his time at Elland Road was disappointing. Douglas failed to recapture his form that he showed consistently at Molineux, although injuries didn't help the 32-year-old. He played 26 games as the Whites made the Championship play-off semi-finals, grabbing five assists.
His game time was limited as Leeds won the league the following season, with Douglas completing 90 minutes in the Championship just four times.
Douglas joined Blackburn Rovers on loan in October 2020, departing Leeds permanently the following summer.
Laurens De Bock
De Bock left Leeds this summer having only played seven games for the club, despite being at the club for three-and-a-half years.
He failed to establish himself in the first team, and the majority of his time at Leeds was spent out on loan. De Bock had temporary spells Oostende, Sunderland, ADO Den Haag and Zulte Waregem - the club he has now joined permanently.
The Whites didn't win any of the seven games that the Belgian defender appeared in, conceding 16 goals in total.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
Borthwick-Jackson arrived on loan from arch rivals Manchester United in the summer of 2017, and despite having made 10 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils two seasons before, his spell at Elland Road was not a success.
He made just six appearances for the Whites, before his loan was cancelled in January. Only one of those appearances was in the league in a 0-0 draw at home to Preston North End, while his final game for the club was a disappointing individual performance in a 2-1 defeat to Newport County in the FA Cup third round.
Borthwick-Jackson has since spent all of his career in League One and League Two, with Scunthorpe United, Tranmere Rovers, Oldham Athletic and now Burton Albion.
Ezgjan Alioski
Alioski signed for Leeds on a four-year deal in 2018 after an impressive season for FC Lugano, where he played as a winger and as a striker. The Macedonian began covering at left-back in the absence of Douglas, and he soon had that position on lockdown.
Alioski was an ever-present throughout his four years at Elland Road; making 42, 44, 39 and 36 league appearances in consecutive seasons. The Macedonia international played almost everywhere for Leeds, with left-back the position he was used most.
However, it speaks volumes that Leeds' best left-backs in recent years have been players who aren't out-and-out left-backs, in both Alioski and Stuart Dallas. Recent reports have stated that Alioski has been offered to Turkish giants Besiktas.
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