30-year-old Tommy Elphick spent most of his football career at Brighton, but in 2012 he finally flew the nest, leaving the club he had served as man and boy.

He swapped one southern coastal town for another, making 142 appearances for Bournemouth as they won promotion to the top-flight. His experience in the Championship and League One prompted then-Aston Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo to take him to Birmingham as part of his futile quest to get back into the Premier League.

That is very much where the story of Tommy Elphick grinds to a halt. They paid £3m for his services, but he's made just 23 starts for Villa in a tough two-year stay. Last season he was loaned to Reading, but made just four appearances.

He has been linked with a move to Leeds Unitedin the past, but is that something he should explore again to kick start his career? FLW provides the answer with another Spotlight feature:

In total, Elphick made eight Championship appearances for his two sides last season, starting three games for Villa and two for Reading.

With such little game time it is hard to find compelling evidence for a Leeds move, but there are signs in the stats that he is ready to make a splash somewhere.

He made 0.9 tackles per game, averaging 1.4 interceptions too.

He does do the basics, but with such little exposure to first-team football, it will always be hard to break into a rhythm and improve on the numbers.

He managed 6.8 clearances per game, though, something that certainly gives food for thought.

Elphick isn't a complicated defender, but he manages to do the things you expect a centre-back to do.

Leeds need a stable, reliable central defender to partner Pontus Jansson, preferably one who doesn't break the bank.

He averaged 27.6 passes per game, indicating his willingness to get on the ball and distribute. Interestingly, 82.2% of those passes were successful.

Elphick would be a sound choice for Leeds, he surely wouldn't cost the earth after falling out of favour at Villa, but he demonstrates an ability to do the simple things well.

Alongside Jansson, he could become a Leeds stalwart and at a significantly lower price than the likes of Kyle Bartley.