One of Alaves’ top three performers so far this season, Alfonso Pedraza is playing so well that it’ll be no surprise to see him linked with bigger La Liga sides in the summer.
Owned by Villarreal, currently in 6th place in the table, Pedraza could surely be a useful player at his parent club, or look elsewhere to see what’s on offer.
Pedraza spent the second half of last season on loan at Leeds United, in a move which was set up to become a permanent transfer. Leeds United would have been forced into signing Pedraza permanently if they’d have achieved promotion, at a figure which was put at around €10m.
The Elland Road faithful saw that as too high, which on his performances in England was a fair viewpoint, but things have changed hugely. Man of the Match against Las Palmas on Friday evening, Pedraza got an assist as his side won 2-0.
Alaves have used the former Leeds player as a left back on repeated occasions this season, but this time he was in his left wing role and proved a problem throughout the match.
The 21 year old is coming of age, and whilst he didn’t fully enjoy his Leeds United experience, perhaps it’s helped add maturity.
In June, Pedraza told the Spanish media: “In all, (at Lugo) I got enough goals and gave a lot of assists. I had a lot of confidence and then, at Leeds, everything went very quickly. I arrived in February, didn’t 
have time to adapt, the league was already in play and there were many matches. It took more, but it was an experience that helped me to grow.
“What I want is to play. This year I would like to stay in Spain and gain experience.”
Should Pedraza continue his current rise and get towards the top of La Liga, those few months at Elland Road may well have been crucial.
