Leeds could finally wave goodbye to Gjanni Alioski by signing Romain Perraud | OneFootball

With reports linking Leeds with a move for Romain Perraud, Marcelo Bielsa now has the perfect chance to wave goodbye to Gjanni Alioski.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay first revealed a couple of months ago that the Whites are eyeing up a summer move for the Stade Brest left-back, and now, The Daily Mail have confirmed Leeds’ interest, adding that they are set to face competition from the likes of Lyon and Marseille.

By signing the 23-year-old, Leeds could finally offload Alioski and start a new chapter at Elland Road.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Leeds ace is set to depart the club in the summer when his contract expires, with Turkish giants Galatasaray apparently reaching a pre-contract deal with him.

Speaking after the 0-0 draw against Chelsea a few weeks ago, former Leeds ace Noel Whelan took aim at the £3.6m-rated Alioski for his defending and urged Bielsa to go after a new left-back in the summer.

The 46-year-old said: “Leeds need a natural full-back there that you know can cover most bases, definitely defensively because as much as he gives everything, he is a liability. He’s not the best of defenders.

“I think that’s why you could see a lot going down that left-hand side, really targeting Alioski and you saw that frailty there at times.”

In Perraud, not only would they be getting a solid defender, but someone who really comes into his own going forward and providing his team with a vital attacking outlet.

Writing a profile piece for The Athletic, Hay noted: “Perraud, 23, played for France up to under-20s level and his performance data — taken from smarterscout, which gives detailed analytics on players all over the world and gives ratings between zero and 99 across a series of metrics — shows characteristics which would meet Bielsa requirements: a creative edge and a high number of dribbles and shots for a player at his position, combined with a very active role in pressing defensively.”

As per Whoscored, Perraud outshines Alioski in virtually all the key categories both offensively and defensively, averaging more interceptions, key passes, shots, dribbles and crosses, while also being dribbled half the amount of times as the Leeds man.

The £7.2m-rated Perraud is just a major upgrade on Alioski, and being significantly younger too, would be fancied to develop into a more well-rounded full-back as the years go by.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this starlet if Raphinha is injured…