Alfonso Pedraza wasn’t at his best during a loan at Leeds United – but interest from Newcastle and Southampton is an indication of his improvements.
It seemed as if Alfonso Pedraza had missed his chance in English football. The Spanish winger moved to Leeds United on loan from Villarreal in the January transfer window with The Whites pushing for promotion.
A clause in Pedraza’s contract meant Leeds would be forced to sign him for £9 million if they secured their place in the Premier League – but a springtime collapse meant they finished agonisingly short of the play-off positions.
Pedraza, after 14 largely erratic Championship appearances, returned to Spain, joining Alaves on a season-long loan. Though, according to the International Business Times, the 21-year-old could be back on English shores far earlier than anyone expected.
The report claims that both Newcastle United and Southampton have scouted Pedraza in action for a struggling Alaves side who have lost eight of their nine La Liga fixtures in 2017/18. The Spain youth international, however, has been a shining light since being converted from a winger into a dynamic left-back.
As such, it seems only a matter of time before Everton join the race. The Independent reported in the summer of 2016 that The Toffees were hopeful of making Pedraza the first signing of the Farhad Moshiri era after the youngster caught their eye in Spain’s victorious Under-19 European Championship campaign.
Everton are still light on options at left-back with Brendan Galloway struggling on loan at Sunderland and Luke Garbutt omitted from the club’s Premier League squad.
The veteran Leighton Baines is in need of back-up and Pedraza, an attack-minded express-train of a full-back, could perhaps be the England international’s long-term successor at Goodison Park.
Everton must move quick, however, with Premier League rivals looking to steal a march.
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