Leeds United defender Aapo Halme is facing leaving the club on loan this summer as manager Marcelo Bielsa looks to streamline his squad for next season, according to Adam Pope.
The BBC broadcast journalist claims on his personal Twitter account that the Whites are looking at having a compact squad in their push for promotion and that with the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting that Leeds are looking to sign Brighton’s Ben White on loan, Halme could be shipped out if the terms are right.
Fits in with what #lufc are trying to do as Bielsa looks to strengthen the wing position. Centre back interesting too. Club looking to streamline squad this summer so there’s a chance the likes of Halme could go out on loan if terms are acceptable. https://t.co/8xfQugUd4B
— Adam Pope (@apopey) June 6, 2019
The 6’5″ colossus (Source: Transfermarkt) played for Leeds’ senior side five times in the Championship and FA Cup last season but was an unused substitute for a further 10 games.
Opinion
Halme looked to be one of the next breakthrough talents from Leeds’ impressive youth system last season but it appears he is not in Bielsa’s thinking for the first team heading into summer. At 21-years-old it is not like he is a prodigious youngster at the start of his career – after all, there are players the same age playing regularly for their clubs in the Championship and other divisions. He needs to be starting regular games now if he is to live up to his potential and it seems that is not going to happen at Leeds. Maybe he just needs to acclimatise to the English game before coming back to Elland Road and having the impact he will be hoping to make. Still, it does not look great that he is not being considered to act as back up to the first team when White, the man touted with coming into the club this summer, is the same age.