Leeds United sold Aapo Halme to Yorkshire and Championship rivals Barnsley after just one league start under Marcelo Bielsa.
Aapo Halme claims he has no regrets about swapping Leeds United for Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in the summer, speaking to the Yorkshire Post.
A giant centre-back would be forgiven for glancing up the Championship table at title-chasing Leeds and wondering what might have been. After just six months at Elland Road, Halme joined local rivals Barnsley and, while his former club are dreaming of promotion, his new employers are desperate just to stay in the second tier.
Barnsley are sitting 23rd as it stands, five points adrift of safety.
But there is one key reason why the Finland U21 international believes he made the right decision.
“Every footballer wants to play week in, week out and I got the opportunity to play here and I am really happy and as a team, we have to stay in the league,” said a man who set Barnsley back an undisclosed six-figure sum.
“Maybe I could have had more chances at Leeds. But then again, it is a big club and you have to be ready to play there (straightaway) as they are a club who are trying to get promoted to the Premier League.
“It was realistic to come here and I think that being at a massive club helped me when I came here.”
Halme made just one Championship start in half a season under Marcelo Bielsa and it’s fair to say he has found game time far easier at Barnsley.
In total, the Helsinki-born 21-year-old has featured 26 times in the Championship since moving to Oakwell, splitting his time between centre-half and defensive midfield roles.
At such a young age, Halme needs to play. And minutes on the pitch for a relegation-threatened side will do him more good than sitting on the bench for a title-chasing one.
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