Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has bemoaned the Whites missing out on defender Tommy Elphick, seeing his move to Aston Villa as a sign the Villa Park outfit will not mess around in the Championship.
Leeds were interested in signing Elphick from Premier League side Bournemouth, but Aston Villa moved quickly, lodging a £3m bid for the defender and snapping him up.
Whelan thinks Elphick, who has experience of life in the Championship gained at the Cherries, would have formed a good central defensive partnership with Liam Cooper.
He feels Leeds missed out on Elphick because they did not move as quickly as Aston Villa, something he sees as proof that the Whites' rivals will not mess around.
"Since last week, Aston Villa have signed Tommy Elphick, who we have lost out on and I think if we were interested we should have really gone for the jugular", Whelan wrote in his column in the Yorkshire Evening Post.
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"We seemed to want this player and if you want them then go and get them.
"That’s what other teams are doing. They see the potential, they see the strength and are not slow in acting because other teams will be looking", Whelan stressed.
"You’ve got to get in there first, sell the club to the player and then get him in the line, get him in the team.
"I think Elphick and Cooper would have been a great partnership but you’ve got to act quickly.
"Big clubs like Villa will not mess about.
"They want to strengthen and get their team together as quickly as possible so that they have got every base covered come pre-season", the former Whites star added.
Aston Villa are looking to bounce back to the Premier League quickly following their relegation last season, while Leeds are aiming for a playoff spot as a minimum under new head coach Garry Monk.
