---
title: "Joe Wainman excited about Leeds United’s Alioski upgrade Firpo"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/joe-wainman-excited-about-leeds-alioski-upgrade-firpo-transfers-marcelo-bielsa-e192/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Caleb Sage"
section: "Leeds United"
published: "2021-08-11T05:00:46Z"
modified: "2021-08-11T05:00:46Z"
---

# Joe Wainman excited about Leeds United’s Alioski upgrade Firpo

**New Leeds United signing Junior Firpo is the “next level up” from Ezgjan Alioski, says [Joe Wainman](https://twitter.com/WainmanJoe?s=20) of the JustJoe football show.**

Leeds signed Firpo from Barcelona last month in a [£13m](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/57735371) deal, while Alioski recently departed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli following the expiration of his contract at Elland Road.

Alioski was often used as a [left-back](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ezgjan-alioski/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/129604/plus/0?saison=&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=2553) by his former manager Marcelo Bielsa but is not a natural in that position.

\[freshpress-poll id=”369603″\]

In contrast, the left-back role is one Firpo is more familiar with, and Wainman is now expecting the 24-year-old to be an upgrade on the man he is succeeding.

*“It’s that next level up from Ezgjan Alioski,”* Wainman told **TT**. *“He’s an actual left-back. I think that’s the thing with Bielsa, sometimes he plays players in different positions. Alioski was a winger.*

*“But look, Junior Firpo is really exciting. I know it didn’t work out for him at Barcelona, but when you’ve got Jordi Alba ahead of you, it’s always going to be tough.”*

Alioski was certainly a good servant to Leeds, playing over [170](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ezgjan-alioski/leistungsdatendetails/spieler/129604/plus/0?saison=&verein=&liga=&wettbewerb=&pos=&trainer_id=2553) games for the Yorkshire club and helping them win promotion back to the Premier League after a [16-year](https://www.premierleague.com/news/1725937) absence.

But it was obviously time to move on and in Firpo, Bielsa now has a more natural left-back to call upon.