There are plenty of Leeds United fans who are desperate to bring Ezgjan Alioski back to Elland Road after the North Macedonian terminated his contract in Saudi Arabia. Alioski joined Al-Ahli after being released by the Whites last summer, but despite six goals and nine assists in 28 matches, his side were relegated.
The 30-year-old is now a free agent and looking for a new club, but many in West Yorkshire would love to see a return to Elland Road and a club where he made over 100 appearances. Leeds are not in the market for a left-back, and have made clear their trust in Junior Firpo, but the former Barcelona man has struggled with injuries and form, with many thinking a reliable free option is by no means a rash decision.
Quality of the player notwithstanding, a return to Elland Road can go either way. Plenty who have done so previously were brought back with rose-tinted glasses and lofty expectations, only to disappoint in the harsh reality of football - but there have been some successful comebacks.
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Here are seven previous Leeds United returnees and how they fared in their second spell.
John Charles (1949 - 1957 & 1962)
A 17-year-old John Charles made his debut in 1949 as centre-half, going on to score 154 goals in 317 appearances across all competitions as centre-half or centre-forward. He captained the Whites to promotion to the First Division in 1956 and went on to bag 38 goals in 40 league games as his side finished eighth.
The Welshman joined Juventus in 1967 for a then record fee of £65,000, where he spent five seasons - he scored 105 goals in 179 matches, winning three Serie A titles and coming third in the 1959 Ballon D’Or - won by Real Madrid’s Alfredo Di Stefano.
Don Review brought Charles back in for £53,000 in 1962, but the gentle giant’s second spell was less successful, with just 11 appearances and three goals as Charles admitted missing the luxury of Italy - he subsequently moved to Roma after one season.
Peter Lorimer (1962 - 1978 & 1983 - 1985)
The late Peter Lorimer remains an absolute legend at Elland Road as the club’s youngest ever first-team player - 15 years and 289 days old - and all-time record goalscorer with 238 goals in 705 appearances across two spells.
The bulk of the attacking midfielder’s appearances came across a 16-year period between 1962-1978, before a host of overseas experiences with Cape Town City, Toronto Blizzard and Vancouver Whitecaps.
Hotshot Lorimer returned to Elland Road in 1983 at 37-years-old, making a further 80 appearances for Second Division Leeds and scoring 22 more goals. He remained a prominent figure in and around Elland Road up until his sad death in 2021.
John Lukic (1978 - 1983 & 1990 - 1996)
Lukic signed for Leeds as a schoolboy, making his debut in a UEFA Cup tie against Valetta in October 1979 and going on to make 165 appearances during his first spell. The goalkeeper then handed in a transfer request before moving to Arsenal for £75,000, where he spent seven seasons, winning the First Division and making 277 appearances including every possible match for the final three seasons.
Lukic returned to Elland Road as a record signing for £1million in 1990, and had a brilliant second spell at the club with a further 266 appearances between the sticks including 42 during Howard Wilkinson’s 1991/1992 First Division title season.
He returned to the Gunners on a free transfer in 1996 as Leeds signed Nigel Martyn, spending a further five campaigns at Highbury before his 2001 retirement. As of 2011, Lukic worked as a freelance goalkeeping coach.
David Batty (1987 - 1993 & 1998 - 2004)
Leeds-born David Batty made his debut at 18-years-old in 1987, quickly becoming a fan-favourite as a local, hard-tackling midfielder in the mould of the legendary Billy Bremner. The industrious Batty provided the strength to a the title winning midfield alongside Gary Speed, Gordon Strachan and Gary McAllister.
After 257 appearances for his boyhood club, Batty was shipped off to Blackburn Rovers for £2.75million as Wilkinson looked to raise money for new incomings. Batty was part of Rovers’ Premier League winners, but refused to accept a winner’s medal as he only played five games due to injury and deemed his contribution minimal.
After spells at Blackburn and then Newcastle United, an experienced Batty returned to Elland Road to strengthen the spine of David O’Leary’s exciting young Champions League team. But he fell out of favour after O’Leary’s sacking and retired in 2004 after being released. A cult hero, Batty is endearingly illusive from the public eye and spends his retirement living a quiet life away from football.
Lee Champan (1989 - 1992 & 1995)
Lee Chapman reunited with former Sheffield Wednesday boss Howard Wilkinson in 1990, signing for Leeds from Nottingham Forest for £400,000. The striker scored an outstanding 80 goals in 172 games, including 16 during the 1992 title win.
He enjoyed one season with the Whites in the Premier League before moving to Portsmouth, West Ham and then Ipswich over a seven-year period. A 36-year-old Chapman returned to Elland Road on loan in 1993, but made only two appearances - his first resulting in a red card for elbowing Marc Reiper.
Chapman retired in 1996, and now owns two restaurants - in London and Leeds.
Brian Deane (1993 - 1997 & 2004 - 2005)
Brian Deane arrived in West Yorkshire for a club record £2.9million from Sheffield United, scoring 38 goals in 168 games across all competitions. But the striker returned to Bramall Lane for £1.5 million just four years later, before spells at Benfica, Middlesbrough, Leicester City and West Ham.
An ageing ‘Deano’ returned to Elland Road after the club were relegated from the Premier League in 2004, scoring just six goals in 31 Championship matches - ridiculously, four of those came in a 6-1 win against Queens Park Rangers.
The striker came back again in a coaching capacity in 2019 as part of the club’s development hub, and held a 50% stake in Kosovo-based Ferizaj for a short spell.
Fabian Delph (2006 - 2009 & 2012)
Bradford-born Fabian Delph signed for Leeds as a 16-year-old in 2006, making his debut against Derby County in 2007. The midfielder went on to make 54 appearances for the Whites, including an outstanding year during 2008/2009 League One campaign.
His performances earned Leeds’ Player’s Player of the Season award and a subsequent £6million move to Aston Villa - a sale supposedly to fund training facility repurchases according to the-chairman Ken Bates - where he spent six seasons.
Delph was loaned back to Leeds for the 2011/2012 campaign but made just five appearances before returning to Villa with a long-term injury. The midfielder won two Premier League titles with Manchester City before moving to Everton, where he was released this summer aged 32.
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