Former Leeds United midfielder David Prutton is sure that new Whites signing Yosuke Ideguchi must be of a decent standard and is looking for the Japanese to provide what the side need in the middle of the park.
The Whites have agreed a deal to sign the Japanese international from Gamba Osaka, but though he will arrive in January, he will not qualify for an FA work permit.
And therefore once the deal worth £500,000 is finalised in January, the player will be loaned to a club outside England, where he will spend the remainder of this season before joining his Leeds team-mates in pre-season.
Prutton, who played for Leeds between 2007 and 2010, insists that despite Ideguchi being an unknown quantity to English fans, he must be of a decent standard.
"Leeds are also set to bring in Japanese international midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi in January and if he has played international football then you’ve got to think he is of a decent standard", Prutton wrote in his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post.
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And Prutton feels Leeds have already had some success with players unknown to English fans in the shape of Ezgjan Alioski and Samuel Saiz, both of whom he believes have adapted well to their new surroundings after coming in at the start of the season.
"And if you talk about unknown quantities coming in then you can look at Alioski and Saiz and they have settled in well and scored goals and they have adapted to the league
"If Ideguchi can add a creative presence or physical guile then that’s what Leeds need because there are a lot of similar midfielders in there."
