BBC pundit: It will be ‘kick in the teeth’ for this Leeds player if Whites sign reported target

BBC pundit Noel Whelan has suggested that it would indeed be a “kick in the teeth” for Leeds defender, Aapo Halme, if a deal for Ben White to move to the club from Brighton was to be completed.

According to a claim by Yorkshire Evening Post, Marcelo Bielsa has been considering the possibility of improving his defensive backbone in the squad by signing White from the recently relegated Premier League side this summer.

In an interview with Football Insider, Noel Whelan has suggested that the potential transfer move would be quite a blow for Halme, a player who was restricted to only a handful of appearances in the league last season.

The arrival of White would see the Leeds star move further down in the pecking order, according to BBC pundit Whelan.

“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.”