Barry Douglas is already making a big difference at Leeds United, with Marcelo Bielsa’s left-back proving to be the reliable signing that many thought he would be.

Leeds had huge problems at left-back last season after the departure of Charlie Taylor, with Gaetano Berardi, Vurnon Anita, Stuart Dallas and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson all featuring there during the first-half of the season under Thomas Christiansen.

However, not one of them could be seen as the long-term solution like Douglas.

That forced Leeds into the January transfer market, with the Whites coming out of the winter window with Laurens De Bock on board.

De Bock was signed in early January, agreeing a long-term contract with the Whites after swapping Club Brugge for Elland Road.

The 25-year-old only managed seven appearances for Leeds, with Tom Pearce – now Douglas’ understudy – eventually stepping in to replace him.

The Belgian left-back struggled with the Championship, with his weaknesses exposed one evening against Derby County.

Injuries played their part too last season, but things looked fairly bleak for De Bock heading into pre-season under Bielsa in the summer.

The left-back was given an opportunity to impress in pre-season friendlies and with Leeds’ under-23s, but he couldn’t do that and was shipped out on loan to Oostende for the season.

It was a disappointing spell in England for De Bock, and in truth, his time with Leeds looks like it is over, despite the length of the contract he has behind him at Elland Road.

In our latest FLW Rewind, we take a look at the positive reaction to De Bock’s arrival, highlighting how wrong Leeds’ supporters got this signing…

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