Leeds United have been urged to keep hold of defender Pontus Jansson by former Whites forward Noel Whelan, in the face of interest in the Swede from the Premier League.
Jansson has been impressive for Leeds since joining the club from Torino last summer and his solid displays at Elland Road have not gone unnoticed by other clubs.
The Sweden international has been linked with Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, while Southampton have been claimed to see Jansson as a potential replacement for Virgil van Dijk.
But Whelan thinks if Leeds have genuine promotion ambitions for next season then they need to keep hold of Jansson, despite his tendency to pick up regular yellow cards.
"I think, sometimes, you have to be disciplined with yourself. Jansson's had too many bookings that just weren't necessary", Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds, following the Whites' 3-3 draw against Norwich City.
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"But if you are going to build a squad, you keep hold of your better players.
"Jansson is a loose cannon, but you don't want to take that out of him, to change him. That makes him as a player, we love that aggression.
"You want players who want to play for this club and take this club to the next level."
Jansson is due to see his loan from Torino transformed into a permanent deal in the summer, but it remains to be seen whether Leeds might have their head turned by a big-money offer from the Premier League for the defender.
The Swede recently declared his commitment to the Yorkshire giants amid transfer speculation.
