Leeds have dubious links to an Ecuador U20 winger, but who exactly is Alexander Alvarado?

Another name from overseas linked with a move to Leeds United. This time, the player is Ecuador U20 international Alexander Alvarado, who shone in the U20 World Cup in Poland. But is this just another case of speculation or does this story have some legs?

Alvarado is a 20 year-old winger who has appeared 17 times for Ecuador’s U20 team, scoring four goals and registering two assists. He made seven appearances for Ecuador at the U20 World Cup, scoring a goal and getting an assist. He scored his goal in Ecuador’s victory over Uruguay, and was a key part of the team that finished in third place, after the team lost in the semifinals to South Korea. Ecuador managed to beat Italy in the third place game, getting revenge from a previous loss in the group stage.

In terms of professional senior appearances, he’s made 51 appearances for SD Aucas, scoring three goals and getting four assists. He’s made 10 appearances this season for the club, but they’ve only had 15 matches, and it appears he’s getting a significant amount of playing time.

Will this be just another punt on an overseas talent? Leeds doesn’t have a spectacular record in this department and a number of the young players that Leeds have brought in recently haven’t really worked out.

This “link” to Leeds also seems somewhat suspect, as the player himself said had no knowledge of any contact from anyone. So either his agent is playing things close to his vest or someone is trying to drum up interest in the player by invoking the name of “Marcelo Bielsa” to get some attention.

Either way, this transfer talk appears to be nothing more than speculation, although more dubious links have turned out to be true. Just take it with a huge grain of salt.