Leicester City reportedly see Ezgjan Alioski as a possible replacement for Riyad Mahrez – putting pressure on Leeds United to act.
Leeds United manager Thomas Christiansen
We’d forgive Leeds United fans for being a little unfamiliar with the work of Ezgjan Alioski. A 13-time Macedonian international currently plying his trade with FC Lugano in Switzerland, even the most hipster of Football Manager fanatics may not consider the 25-year-old a household name.
However, the bare statics alone show why Leeds fans should be excited as Swiss newspaper Blick link the Championship club with a summer swoop. Alioski scored 17 goals and produced 14 assists in a remarkable individual campaign.
In fact, only three players in the Switzerland top flight hit the back of the net on a more regular basis.
Leeds went surprisingly left-field by appointing Thomas Christiansen as their new manager last week and, with Alioski joining FC Twente’s Polish international playmaker Mateusz Klich (below) on their shopping list, the club certainly appear to be thinking outside the box this summer.
However, although Alioski may be a new name in the English footballing consciousness, that does not mean he has not attracted interest from elsewhere.
Bundesliga trio Bayer Leverkusen, Hertha Berlin and Eintracht Frankfurt have all been linked while the Leicester Mercury claim that the 2016 Premier League champions were also tracking his progress.
Mahrez Mk2?
A left footed winger who cuts in from the right hand side, the report claims that Alioski was under consideration as a potential replacement for Riyad Mahrez. And, just a few weeks later, the Algerian confirmed that he would be looking to move on from the King Power Stadium this summer, as reported by The Guardian.
Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez
Although Mahrez currently appears no closer to the exit, Leeds should know that they will have to act fast as The Foxes prepare for life without their talisman.
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