Bradford City manager Gary Bowyer has hinted that he considered signing Leeds United striker Ryan Edmondson and has suggested that he will try to sign more players from Elland Road in the future.

Edmondson is yet to make his breakthrough for the first team at Elland Road, but scored 19 goals for Leeds' under-23 side last season.

The highly-rated 18-year-old featured for Leeds during pre-season, but has only made one competitive appearance for the Whites so far in his career, and scored on his debut for the England Under-19s today.

Bradford recently signed a young player from Leeds when defender Paudie O'Connor joined on a permanent deal during the summer transfer window, after spending the second half of last season on loan at Valley Parade.

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When asked by BBC journalist Adam Pope whether he had considered signing Edmondson, Bowyer admitted that Bradford have built up a good relationship with Leeds and hinted that he could sign more players from Elland Road in the future.

“In terms of lists & names you get loads. With the relationship we’ve built with Leeds following the loan of Paudie (O’Connor) I think with the resources & amount of players Leeds have it’s important we tap into that,” Bowyer said.

Leeds are currently third in the Championship table after taking 13 points from their opening six matches, but lost their unbeaten record against Swansea City at the weekend.

The Verdict

I think Bowyer has a point. Leeds have got a very good academy and have produced some very talented young players over the past few years.

Marcelo Bielsa has shown throughout his time at Leeds that he's prepared to give young players a chance in the first-team, but not all of them are going to get the opportunity.

Going out on loan to clubs like Bradford will allow them to experience regular first-team football and play in a very competitive league, which is key for their development.

As for Edmondson, he's a very talented player and it's only a matter of time before he gets another chance in the first team at Leeds, but perhaps moving to Bradford on loan would be a good option for him and he could benefit from some experience in League Two.