Leeds United have big shoes to fill for their second straight Premier League season in August as three of their key players bid their farewells.
The Premier League 2021 news have confirmed that Pablo Hernandez, Gaetano Berardi, and Ezgjan Alioski will leave Elland Road as they’ll open a new chapter of their lives to search for new opportunities.
All of them have played huge roles as to why Leeds United will continue marching on in the English top-flight through their share of heroics either in their days at the Championship as well as during their first Premier League season since 2004.
As SBOTOP and Leeds fans say goodbye to the trio, today, let’s look back at their tenures with the club.
Pablo Hernandez
Pablo Hernandez joined the Whites on August 2016 via six-month loan deal with Qatar-based club Al-Arabi. Prior to Leeds United, “El Mago” was known vaguely as a journeyman with his time at Valencia and Swansea City.
Although he was bothered by a niggling hamstring injury throughout his first season, Hernandez did just enough and Leeds United have decided to sign him on a permanent deal on January 2017.
Since then, the Spaniard had 166 appearances for the club, scoring 34 goals and he won the Leeds United’s Player of the Season citation for three consecutive seasons in 2018 to 2020.
Hernandez’s numbers may be modest, but he got those awards because he provided leadership, creativity in midfield, as well as some unforgettable clutch moments.
One of his best games for the Whites was when he put them at striking distance for a possible top-flight promotion in 2019 when he sparked a comeback by scoring a brace during a 3-2 victory over Championship rivals Millwall.
Another key moment happened in 2020 after the coronavirus lockdown when he scored the 89th-minute winner over Swansea City as that played a huge role to Leeds United’s return to the Premier League.
The image of him taking his shirt off while running and celebrating on the pitch will be forever remembered by the fans. In fact, that moment has been immortalised via a fan-funded mural located at the Duck and Drake pub in the heart of Leeds.
After spending years bouncing around teams that never really appreciated him, Pablo Hernandez has found a home in Leeds and he will go out as a hero.
Gaetano Berardi
Like Pablo Hernandez, Gaetano Berardi became a cult hero to the Leeds’ faithful because of his warrior-like mentality and selfless attitude.
After spending the early years of his senior career in Italy with Brescia and Sampdoria, Gaetano Berardi joined the Whites back in 2014.
The Switzerland international had a rough debut when he was sent off and even got a three-match ban after a reckless mid-air tackle against Accrington Stanley, but Berardi eventually found his footing to end the season with 10 starts in the last 11 matches.
After doing well in his second season, Gaetano Berardi signed a two-year extension and he would emerge as one of the team’s best defenders.
In August 2017, the Swiss added three more years in his stay at Elland Road. And when Marcelo Bielsa became the head coach in 2019, Berardi was converted to a centre-back and he did well there.
However, injuries have marred his progress and he was limited to just 35 appearances in the next two seasons at the Championship.
When Leeds United secured their first top-flight promotion in 16 years, Berardi unfortunately suffered a torn ACL but he remained with the club for one more year to serve as one of their emotional leaders.
The last few images of Berardi may be him walking with crutches, but Leeds fans will never forget what he has sacrificed for the club.
Ezgjan Alioski
Ezgjan Alioski is certain to have suitors after four fruitful years with Leeds United as he is still in his physical prime at 29 years old.
The North Macedonian became an integral part of the squad since 2017 and he made a grand total of 22 goals and 19 assists in his 171 appearances for the Whites.
Alioski flourished as a wing-back under Marcelo Bielsa and his personality has endeared himself to the fans at Elland Road.
Last term, Gjanni became the first Macedonian to score in the Premier League for over 20 years and he’s one of the reasons why Leeds United’s Premier League 2021 odds of staying in top-flight was intact.
Junior Firpo will aim to fill the void left by Ezgjan Alioski, but it will take a great amount of effort for the former Barcelona man to replicate his energy, attacking threat, and passion for the Whites.
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