Noel Whelan has said that it will be a “kick in the teeth” for Leeds United centre-back Aapo Halme if the club brings Ben White in from Brighton.
A previous report by the Yorkshire Evening Post claimed that Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is interested in adding defensive cover this summer by bringing White, 21, up from the south coast
Speaking to Football Insider, BBC pundit Whelan said that the move would be frustrating for Halme, who made four Championship appearances last term and is likely to be pushed further down the pecking order if White arrives.
“If I was a player and I was Halme, then yes, [it would be frustrating],” Whelan said.
“You’d like to think when you’ve had a few games under your belt, you’ve stepped in a few times for the first team and done okay, maybe next season you get more of a run in and be a bit more integrated into that first team.
“I suppose on his side of things he’ll be disappointed. Yes, it’ll be a bit of a kick in the teeth for Halme, I’m sure, but you either swim or you sink.
“You either accept it and work harder on the training ground and stand out to catch the eye of Mr Bielsa, or you chuck the towel in and go for an easy option.”
OPINION
This is an interesting one for Leeds to consider. Halme’s four Championship appearances came in between November and December, and in three of the games that he played in, the Whites kept a clean sheet – against Bristol City, Sheffield United and Bolton. Halme did not play the full 90 minutes in any of those fixtures, but the fact that he helped his side keep clean sheets against automatic promotion winners in the Blades and against the Robins, who almost made it to the play-offs, shows that he must have put in some decent performances. So yes, it would be a kick in the teeth if White was to come in, because, coming from a Premier League side, he is likely to go one place higher in the pecking order than Halme arrived. As Whelan says, Halme will be hoping that White doesn’t sign. But this one is up in the air for now and only time will tell if it happens.