BBC Radio Leeds pundit Noel Whelan has urged Leeds United to sign Tommy Elphick after it was confirmed that he will be leaving Aston Villa when his contract expires later this month.
Elphick, 31, won the fourth promotion of his career this season when he helped Aston Villa reach the Premier League by making 11 appearances in the Championship either side of a loan stint with Hull City.
Dean Smith recalled Elphick in January after Steve Bruce loaned him out to the Tigers in the summer, and he ended up playing a key role up until he suffered a fractured ankle in March.
Ex-Leeds striker Whelan has claimed that the Yorkshire club has previously held an interest in Elphick and even if Pontus Jansson stays put at Elland Road this summer, he believes the exit-bound Aston Villa defender would be a top addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad.
“Leeds will be looking at him,” Whelan told Football Insider. “I would be if I was in charge, absolutely. Leeds have looked at him before and he’d still be perfect for us.
“He’s a proper defender, aggressive, good in the air, commanding, a good player. You need players with Championship experience who know the league and we need a new centre-back, even if Pontus Jansson stays.
“He could be a great free signing and a great signing for next season.”
OPINION
Elphick is a proven promotion winner. He played for Bournemouth as they were promoted from League One and the Championship to reach the Premier League and has also helped Brighton go up from the third-tier to the second-tier. Now that Villa are back in the top-flight, he has won four promotions and Leeds could certainly do with someone in their squad who has that know-how. They also need defenders this summer. One of Leeds’ downfalls this term has been their lack of options at centre-back. Liam Cooper and Jansson are both prone to bookings, red cards and injuries, so it was a daft move by Bielsa to believe he would be fine with just them as his only senior centre-backs. Elphick would be a solid third choice centre-back and could even put pressure on either Cooper or Jansson, if he stays, for their spots in the starting line-up. As he’s available for free, it would be a no-brainer than the Whites go after Elphick this summer.