Who is Junior Firpo? The flying full-back Leed have rescued from Barcelona

Had you offered Leeds fans a ninth-placed finish in their first season back in the Premier League, they'd have bitten your hand off. A four-game winning run to see out 2020/21 saw the Whites finish just two points behind Arsenal as they won a legion of admirers for their style of play under Marcelo Bielsa. 

Of course, it's key to build on success rather than stagnate and run the risk of succumbing to relegation. If Leeds stand still, then they'll be left behind and potentially follow the same route as Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United. That said, we're only a week into July and Leeds have been active in the market. 

Jack Harrison's loan move has been made permanent after another successful campaign at Elland Road and Leeds have followed up that capture with the arrival of Junior Firpo from Barcelona. The Blaugrana are under pressure to sell this summer given rumours of wages swirling out of control and a failure to register new arrivals Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, as per league rules, as a result. 

Firpo is unlikely to be the only name shown the Camp Nou exit this summer, though Barcelona fans aren't exactly devastated to see the back of the 24-year-old. He failed to oust Jordi Alba as first choice following his 2019 arrival from Real Betis, making just 14 league starts in two years. Judging him on his Barcelona performances, though, isn't a true representation of Firpo's quality. 

Rather, focusing on his time at Real Betis is a better marker to gauge his ability and what he will bring to Leeds. That said, in 2018/19 under Quique Setien, Firpo was deployed more frequently as a wing-back rather than a full-back. Marcelo Bielsa has used a three-man defence, but his go to in the Premier League last season was a 4-1-4-1 system. That should not deter Firpo from pushing forward to maximise his attacking qualities with his new team. 

Ezgjan Alioski, who Firpo is replacing at left-back, was given the license to push on and support the offensive for Leeds last season as he mustered a solid return of one key pass per 90 as Bielsa encouraged the 29-year-old to help his side in the final third. Firpo, admittedly playing in a more advanced wing-back role, abided by Setien's demands to create chances during their second season together with Real Betis, putting in an average of 0.9 key passes per 90 in 2018/19. 

However, the difference between the pair is Firpo's willingness to get forward with the ball at his feet as evidenced in his 1.4 successful dribbles per 90 in that season compared to Alioski's 0.4 in England's top tier last term. If Firpo is allowed the chance to get forward down the left in possession, then it would present Leeds with another dimension to their attack. 

Another advantage of being used as a wing-back with Real Betis, to go with the versatility that comes in playing in the role, is that Firpo can cover plenty of ground in both defending his side's goal and aiding the attack. In such a demanding Bielsa system, Firpo has the physical qualities to cover both roles from left-back with ease in this high pressing Leeds machine, maximising a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of 'defensive contribution' in the process to ensure he is able to return to his position in time following a break up field. 

A lack of game time during his stint with Barcelona means he may seem rusty initially, but joining Leeds so early in the window gives him the maximum time to work with Bielsa and get up to speed with the demands of the Argentine head coach. There is an element of risk in signing Firpo, but Leeds took the plunge with the likes of Raphinha and Illan Meslier, the latter's loan move being made permanent before he was instilled as first choice in Yorkshire, and those have worked well. 

Leeds' scouting team will have identified Firpo as the player with the perfect attributes to succeed Alioski and for a rumoured £13.5m, the former Spain U21 international could prove a steal in the current market. The left-back's development has plateaued during his forgettable stint with Barcelona, but Bielsa is the ideal coach to coax out his best form in a system that plays to his strengths.