Noel Whelan criticises Leeds United’s transfer policy

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Leeds United have been signing players for the Under-23 side in the January transfer window.

Noel Whelan has criticised Leeds United’s recent policy of signing players for the Under-23 team on BBC Radio Leeds.

Leeds have been quite busy in the January transfer window and have made a number of signings.

Defender Aapo Halme, 19, and 20-year-old forward Oliver Sarkic have been signed from HJK Helsinki and Benfica respectively.

The two youngsters, though, will be part of Leeds’s Under-23 team for the time being, while fellow January signing, 21-year-old Japan international midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, has been loaned out to Cultural Leonesa for the rest of the season.

Belgian left-back Laurens De Bock, signed from Club Brugge, is expected to be part of the first team rightaway, though.

Former Leeds striker Whelan has criticised the Championship club’s recent transfer policy, and has urged them to bring through homegrown talent, suggesting that they do not have to do like Manchester City.

Whelan told BBC Radio Leeds: “You are bringing in a lot of young, foreign players into the Under-23s. What about the homegrown? What about the homegrown?

“We are not Manchester City. We don’t need to buy Under-21s, let’s buy some homegrown talent. Let’s bring some British players through the system that know what it’s all about.”

Leeds are seventh in the Championship table at the moment with 43 points from 27 matches.

The West Yorkshire outfit are level on points with sixth-placed Sheffield United and are very much in the race for the playoffs.